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Kentucky

4 buyers · 7 tenders · checked 2026-10-08

No transit rail: four FRA-funded freight projects, a crossing-elimination selection and two small state rail grant programmes make up the market.

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0Metro systems operating
4Buyers tracked
7Tenders tracked
4Cities tracked
Live pipeline
Paducah & Louisville Railway line rehabilitation: $29.563m CRISI federal grant (FRA; project $62.9m); Rockport Railroad Bridge: $17.33m federal award (FRA; project $38.5m); Bluegrass Multimodal Freight Improvement: $7.38m CRISI federal grant (FRA; project $12.3m); Clagg lift span: $6.49m CRISI federal grant (FRA; project $12.98m); R. J. Corman Kentucky Freight Rail Improvement Program: $32.18m CRISI grant (in the market file, not repeated); Quarry Road grade separation: $9.59m FRA Railroad Crossing Elimination selection (KYTC; planned); KSLIP short line grants: $7.5m a year state programme (KYTC); KIASI industrial rail access grants: $7.5m a year state programme (KYTC)
Technology areas
Track & civil, Rolling-stock hardware, Signalling & train control

Key figures

Statewide Rail Plan2025Kentucky Statewide Rail Plan, accepted by the FRA in September 2025, covering the period to 2045
2 sources · all primary
Active rail miles2,800 milesActive rail miles in 2025, run by five Class I, one Class II and 12 Class III railroads
1 source · primary
Plan funded programme$149mEstimated project cost of the rail plan's funded programme (over $97m federal, over $43m private, $7.50m state); a programme figure that overlaps the grants carried here
1 source · primary
State rail fundNo dedicated fund; two $7.5m pilotsNo dedicated source of consistent state rail funding per the 2025 rail plan; the 2024-26 state budget (HB 1) funds a short line grant pilot and an industrial rail access pilot at $7.5m a year each, matched at least 50 per cent
1 source · primary
PAL CRISI grant$29.6mFRA CRISI federal grant to the Paducah & Louisville Railway for 23 bridges, Paducah Yard and 19 locomotives (project $62.9m)
2 sources · all primary
  • ● USAspending.gov - FRA CRISI award 69A36524420560CRSKY, Paducah & Louisville Railway Inc · Federal award record: $29,563,000 federal, $33,337,000 non-federal, $62,900,000 total funding, signed 13 August 2024, performance 1 August 2024 to 31 January 2030; Paducah Yard, 23 bridges and 19 locomotives (published 2024-08-13 · checked 2026-10-08)
  • ● Paducah and Louisville Railway - news release on the federal grant · Railway release: up to $29.563m from USDOT CRISI for 23 bridges, Paducah Yard track and 19 locomotives, railway contribution $33.337m, project cost $62.9m, 280-mile line, four Class I interchange partners, and the related Rockport Bridge INFRA project; the release prints no date and its file path places it in September 2023 (checked 2026-10-08)

Buyers

BuyerTypeTendersContracts awarded
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet - Division of Planning, Modal Programs BranchState DOT30
Green River Area Development DistrictDevelopment authority10
Louisville & Indiana Railroad CompanyFreight railroad10
Paducah & Louisville RailwayFreight railroad10

Tenders

TenderBuyerStatusValue bandNext key date
PAL line state of good repair (CRISI)PALIn execution$25–100m
Bluegrass Multimodal Freight Improvement (CRISI)R. J. CormanIn execution$5–25m
Clagg lift span repair (CRISI)L&IIn execution$5–25m
Rockport Railroad Bridge rehabilitationGRADDIn execution$5–25m
Quarry Road grade separation (RCE)KYTC Rail PlanningPlanned$5–25m
KSLIP short line grant programmeKYTC Rail PlanningPlanned$5–25m
KIASI industrial rail access programmeKYTC Rail PlanningPlanned$5–25m

Cities

CityNetwork statusNetworks
Louisvilleno passenger rail: the 2025 rail plan shows Louisville as an Amtrak stop reached by bus to Indianapolis, with no commuter or intercity train. Freight: CSX, Norfolk Southern, the Paducah & Louisville and the Louisville & Indiana, whose Clagg lift span over the Ohio River has a CRISI award; a Louisville to Indianapolis corridor has a small Corridor ID planning award held by the regional planning agency.
Paducahfreight only: Paducah is the western terminus of the 280-mile Paducah & Louisville line, whose Paducah Yard is being upgraded under a CRISI award.
Owensborofreight only: the Green River Area Development District is based here and manages the Rockport Railroad Bridge award in Ohio County, upriver on the Paducah & Louisville line.
Lexingtonfreight only: R. J. Corman operates the Central Kentucky Lines through Lexington and is upgrading its main yard and transload facility, with a new transload yard at Frankfort, under a CRISI award.

Withheld in the free surface

  • Capex in this region (3)
  • Live pipeline value
  • Market narrative

Full detail withheld: 3 fields. In the United States edition · See a fully open example

  • Note

Full detail withheld: 1 field. In the United States edition · See a fully open example

Sources

Browse: the Atlas · United States · players · events

Compiled by Watchtower to editorial standards the Managing Partner sets and enforces. Public record only — every datum carries its source.