The proposed project involves project development activities to further plan for a new rail line that will connect the farmington, NM, area to the bnsf corridor near gallup across SAN juan county…

San Juan County received a $5.0 million Project Grant from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) under the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program (CFDA 20.325), awarded on June 1, 2025, with a completion date of October 31, 2027. The grant funds project development activities and planning for a new freight rail line connecting the Farmington, New Mexico area to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) corridor near Gallup, spanning San Juan County and McKinley County. The proposed rail infrastructure project is a collaborative partnership among San Juan County, the Navajo Nation, and the New Mexico Department of Transportation, with the majority of the project located within Navajo Nation territory.

The deliverables under this award include preliminary engineering, planning studies, environmental documentation, and related feasibility analyses necessary to advance the rail corridor project. By establishing a viable freight transportation alternative to highway trucking, the project is designed to enhance system resilience, improve service performance, simplify supply chain logistics, and enable rail-dependent economic development opportunities for the Navajo Nation and surrounding communities. San Juan County is providing the required 20 percent non-federal match, and the project qualifies for the FRA's statutory set-aside for rural area initiatives. The development planning activities will establish the foundation for subsequent infrastructure construction and implementation phases of the rail corridor.

The proposed project involves project development activities to further plan for a new rail line that will connect the farmington, NM, area to the bnsf corridor near gallup across SAN juan county and mckinley county, NM. The proposed project is a partnership between SAN juan county, the navajo nation, and the new mexico department of transportation the vast majority of the project is located within the navajo nation. The project aligns with the selection criteria by enhancing resilience and improving system and service performance as the project will provide a viable freight transportation modal alternative to highway trucking, simplify the supply chain, and enable new, rail-dependent economic development opportunities thereby imparting benefits to the navajo nation and surrounding communities. SAN juan county will contribute the 20 percent non-federal match. This project qualifies for the statutory set-aside for projects in rural areas.