Wed, July 30

The tracks were still there—but the trains had long stopped coming.

They stretched across the Mississippi Delta like veins from another era, rusted but intact. A silent monument to what once was: cotton trains, timber hauls, produce crates heading north. But these days, the rails carried nothing but weeds and whispers.

That was, until a group of local leaders stood on the crumbling platform of an abandoned station and asked a simple question:

What if we brought the trains back—but this time, they served us all?

That question reached me through an early-morning call from Clarksdale. The line was fuzzy, the ask was big, and the dream was bold. And that’s exactly how I like my mornings.

🌆 Setting the Scene

The Mississippi Delta is one of America’s most storied regions—rich in culture, rhythm, and resilience. But when it comes to infrastructure, it’s been left behind.

Decades of disinvestment hit rural Black communities the hardest. In towns like Clarksdale, Greenwood, and Yazoo City, residents face shrinking job markets, limited transit options, and supply chains that move slower than the Tallahatchie River in summer. Meanwhile, commercial trucking dominates the roads, driving up emissions and driving down local economies.

The kicker? The Delta still has over 240 miles of dormant freight rail, winding through farmland, industrial sites, and underserved main streets.

But no investment. No modernization. No connections.

Then came a unique window of opportunity. The Biden administration had announced a $2.2 billion funding pool through the RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) program. And buried in the fine print? A priority for rural infrastructure. Legacy transportation. Environmental justice.

Mississippi was eligible. The Delta was ready.

What they needed was a conductor who knew how to turn tracks into traction.

🎯 The Visionaries

At the heart of the idea was Mayor Denise Holloway of Clarksdale—a former teacher and third-generation resident who believed the Delta’s future shouldn’t be a footnote.

She’d joined forces with Delta Works, a regional economic development nonprofit led by a coalition of mayors, small business owners, and farmers. They called their idea the Rural Rail Revival Initiative.

The vision: revitalize 87 miles of rail from Clarksdale to Jackson, connecting underserved towns to industrial parks, workforce training centers, food distribution hubs, and—yes—passenger service for the first time in 40 years.

They weren’t trying to build a bullet train. They were building a lifeline.

Local partners included:

• Jackson State University for workforce and impact studies

• Black Farmers Collective for local ag distribution

• Rural Women Rise, a grassroots organizing group advocating for child care and transit equity

They had a plan. They had grit. But what they didn’t have was a grant strategist who could translate their dream into dollars.

That’s when I boarded the train.

💼 Enter Mr. Grant Money

I arrived in Clarksdale in early spring. The azaleas were blooming, and the streets hummed with purpose. Mayor Holloway met me at the station—well, the ghost of one—and handed me a folder with the words “Tracks of Opportunity” handwritten across the top.

Inside? A draft vision plan, some economic models, and three years’ worth of public meeting notes.

What I saw was clear: they weren’t just trying to move freight. They were trying to move futures—for farmers, for families, for communities that had been disconnected far too long.

We didn’t just need one grant—we needed a multi-track funding strategy. I laid it out like this:

• Anchor: RAISE grant – $24 million for rail rehab, stations, and infrastructure

• Stack: USDOT Rural Surface Transportation grant for match funding

• Layer: USDA Rural Development funds for ag distribution integration

• Leverage: Private sector match from a Memphis-based logistics company looking for lower-carbon supply routes

My motto: Don’t chase dollars. Chase alignment.

✍️ Crafting the Winning Application

Writing this grant was like laying track: every piece had to lock perfectly into place.

We opened with a map—historic rail corridors overlaid with data on poverty, food deserts, and access to transit. Then we showed what “reconnection” would look like: small towns back on the supply grid. Students reaching college without three transfers. Black-owned farms moving product within state lines without paying national freight costs.

We wove in equity: 73% of the population served by the new rail line was Black or Brown. 58% of the target region had no access to reliable transit. Entire counties had double-digit unemployment but were within 10 miles of dormant rail hubs.

We highlighted sustainability: rail transport would reduce regional carbon emissions by an estimated 22%, shifting freight away from diesel-heavy trucks.

But we didn’t stop at data.

We told stories.

Of Marvin, a sweet potato grower who’d lost contracts because he couldn’t get refrigerated freight.

Of Shonda, a single mom who drives 47 miles to her job in Jackson because the Delta has no public rail or bus routes.

Of elders who remembered when trains connected everything—and now hoped they’d live to see it again.

We called it a “Justice-Driven Infrastructure Revival.” Because that’s exactly what it was.

📢 The Approval & Aftermath

The news hit like a train whistle at dawn.

RAISE announced its grantees, and there it was:
“Tracks of Opportunity: Rural Rail Revival in the Mississippi Delta – $25.7M.”

Clarksdale and its partners were the only rural project in the state to receive full funding. The win sent ripples statewide—and far beyond.

Construction began within six months. Local job sites opened. Rail ties were replaced. ADA-compliant microstations were built. A historic depot was restored as a community hub and cultural center.

But here’s what mattered most:

• Farmers doubled regional distribution reach in 14 months

• Youth apprenticeships launched in partnership with Delta Tech College

• Passenger rail tests began—on schedule—for fall 2025

And just last week? Mayor Holloway told me they’re in talks to expand the line another 60 miles.

The train’s not just coming. It’s rolling.

🔑 Grant Money Takeaways

Here’s what this story etched into steel:

1. Legacy infrastructure is still living infrastructure.
   Just because something’s been abandoned doesn’t mean it’s obsolete. Sometimes the past holds the key to the future.

2. Equity is not an afterthought—it’s the starting point.
   This project won because it centered disconnection and reconnection—in race, economics, and geography.

3. Layer your funding.
   Big grants love leverage. Match dollars, in-kind partnerships, and regional alliances show seriousness.

4. Tell the story between the stations.
   GIS maps matter—but so do Marvin’s sweet potatoes and Shonda’s commute. Don’t forget the people.

5. Reconnection is a vision worth funding.
   Especially in places that were forgotten long before climate or economic shifts became national talking points.

👋 Your Turn

There’s a track somewhere in your city, your state, your community—waiting to be reborn. Maybe it’s literal. Maybe it’s digital. Maybe it’s human.

What needs to move in your world? What’s waiting for a conductor, a strategy, a spark?

You bring the vision. I’ll bring the grants.

Until next time,
– Mr. Grant Money

🛍 Explore More

• Read more stories on the Mr. Grant Money Blog

• Support the work through the Mr. Grant Money Store

• Hear the message in Mr. Grant Money Music

💬 Discussion Questions

1. What forms of “abandoned infrastructure” exist in your community that could be revived or reimagined for today’s needs?

2. How can transportation be used not just to move goods and people, but to rebuild economic power and racial equity?

3. Do you think rural communities get their fair share of infrastructure investment? Why or why not—and how do we change that?

4. What stories—personal or community-wide—would help strengthen a grant application in your region?

5. If you could reconnect one place to another in your area with a new route—rail, broadband, or otherwise—what would it be, and why?