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The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation awarded $700,000 to Pittsburgh Intermodal Terminals Inc. to improve about 1 mile of freight rail track to bolster operations and generate jobs in Beaver County.

Growth in rail freight has been hampered this year by competition from trucking, in part driven by trucking’s falling rates and extra capacity.

The U.S. freight rail system is arguably the best and most efficient in the world.

Rail officials acknowledged on their third-quarter financial calls they have extra capacity to move goods because they are not carrying as much freight as they did in 2017 and 2018, when the economy was roaring.

Dublin, Ga., has earned $8 million in grants for improvements to its rail infrastructure. A $4 million grant from the Federal Railroad Association was given to the city through its Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program, which was matched by the Georgia Central Railway.

OMAHA, Neb. — The economy appears strong to the major freight railroads that haul the products and raw materials companies rely on, but the lingering trade disputes could derail business if they continue.