USDOT Announces $233+ Million in Grants to Upgrade Intercity Passenger Rail Service
ACTIONS
The U.S Department of Transportation announced over $233 Million to improve and modernize vital intercity passenger rail service.
Overview
The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded over $233 million to 11 projects in 8 states to improve and modernize vital intercity passenger rail service. Funded by the Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair Program (Partnership Program), these investments will help replace bridges and tunnels along the Northeast Corridor in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Connecticut, each of which is more than 100 years old. Additional funds will increase the safety, reliability, and sustainability of rail infrastructure in California, Michigan, and Massachusetts and make needed improvements to the busiest train station in the Midwest: Chicago Union Station.
Some examples of awarded projects are listed below:
- California – San Diego Rail Optimization and Resilience Program (Up to $27,300,000): The proposed project replaces the 100-year-old San Luis Rey River Bridge with a double-track concrete bridge and eliminates a 0.6-mile single-track bottleneck in the City of Oceanside. Additional improvements will be made to an adjacent bike path, a pedestrian underpass, an FRA-approved Quiet Zone at-grade crossing, grading, drainage, and signals. These improvements will bring rail infrastructure used heavily by Amtrak, Metrolink commuter services, and BNSF freight trains into a state of good repair while reducing delays, increasing speeds, and shortening trip times.
- New Jersey – Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Project (Up to $45,043,491): The proposed project will fund the completion of the final design for the Sawtooth Bridges Replacement project, which will replace two 110-year-old railroad bridges in Kearny with three new ones. As part of the Gateway Program, the new bridges will allow for a four-track segment between Newark and New York City.
- Connecticut – New Haven Line Power Program Phase I (Up to $20,000,000): The proposed project replaces two power substations for the railroad signaling system along the Connecticut-owned New Haven Line. The upgraded substations will be more reliable, more energy efficient, less costly to maintain, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The corridor is heavily traveled, with upwards of 350 daily commuter and 60 Amtrak trains.
The complete list of awarded projects can be found here.