The Modesto and Empire Traction Co. has run freight trains for local industries for more than a century. It now has a $12.2 million federal grant aimed at safer and cleaner operations.
The railroad runs in and near the vast Beard Industrial District, near Modesto’s southeast corner. It has 35 customers, mostly food and beverage companies at the core of the Stanislaus County economy.
The grant will retrofit two locomotives with low-polluting components and upgrade 22 locations where streets cross the tracks. The railroad must provide a match equal to 30% of the award.
https://www.aol.com/modesto-local-freight-railroad-safer-140000585.html
