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6/20/2025
Rail News: CSX Transportation
FRA OKs waiver for 2 gantry cranes at Montgomery container transfer site

The Federal Railroad Administration is issuing a waiver of its Buy America requirements to the Alabama State Port Authority for two rubber-tired gantry cranes for use in the Montgomery Intermodal Container Transfer Facility project.
Earlier this year, the port authority and CSX broke ground for an intermodal container transfer facility in Montgomery. The more than $80 million, state-of-the-art facility is designed to provide seamless rail and truck connectivity between central Alabama and the Port of Mobile to enhance freight mobility and stimulate economic growth throughout the region.
Because the project received $67 million in federal grant funds, the FRA's Buy America requirements apply. But the port applied to the FRA for a waiver for the two cranes because they are unavailable domestically, according to the FRA's post in the Federal Register.
The final waiver will not apply to any construction materials, and therefore, FRA is not waiving any applicable requirements under the Build America, Buy America Act, according to the FRA. The waiver is effective June 25.
The intermodal container transfer facility will be located adjacent to the main CSX rail line between Montgomery and Mobile. The facility will consist of an approximately 15,000-foot side-track, two 3,500-foot process tracks, and one 3,500-foot support track located under two rubber-tired gantry cranes, a container storage yard, and associated buildings and features required to support the operation.
The project is designed to provide an alternate shipping option for existing businesses between the Port of Mobile and central Alabama, reduce container storage congestion at the port and decrease truck traffic on Interstate 65
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