Over $230 Million Awarded to Modernise US Intercity Passenger Rail Services

The US Department of Transportation (DoT) has awarded over 233 million USD (231.02m EUR) in funding to 11 projects that will improve and modernise intercity passenger rail services across eight US states.

This investment comes from the Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair Program (Partnership Program), which is administered by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The projects were chosen via the FRA’s Corridor ID Program, which was introduced earlier this year.

Some of the funding will go towards replacing bridges and tunnels along the Northeast Corridor.

This includes replacing the Connecticut River Bridge with a new moveable bridge, designing a replacement for the 115-year-old Susquehanna River Bridge in Maryland and funding New York’s East River Tunnel Rehabilitation project.

The funds will also be used to improve the safety, reliability and sustainability of rail infrastructure in California, Michigan and Massachusetts.

These projects include replacing California’s 100-year-old San Luis Rey River Bridge with a double-track concrete bridge and constructing new power substations for the railroad signalling system along Connecticut’s New Haven Line.

Money has also been allocated to make improvements to Chicago Union Station. This is the busiest train station in the Midwest and the fourth busiest in Amtrak’s network.

The Chicago Union Station Concourse Improvement Project involves final design and construction management for the station’s concourse level, which will address issues of passenger flow, bottlenecks, accessibility and directional signage.

This will help to improve passenger safety, reduce travel time through the station and provide capacity for current and future demand.

Pete Buttigieg, US Transportation Secretary, said:

“From Amtrak on the East and West Coasts to commuter rail in cities across the country, Americans rely on intercity passenger rail to travel, get to work, and visit loved ones.

“The Partnership Program improves upon this safe, affordable, and environmentally-friendly mode of transportation and brings us closer to delivering the world-class passenger service Americans deserve.”

The introduction of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has expanded the scope of the FRA’s enhanced Federal State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program and increased funding by 7.2 billion USD (7.14bn EUR) each year for the next five years.

This funding will enable the FRA to work on more projects to establish or expand intercity rail services across America.

The funds for 2022 will be made available this autumn.

Amit Bose, Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), said:

“For years, the Partnership Program has helped bring intercity passenger rail services to a state of good repair by reducing the maintenance backlog and ensuring Americans are connected to opportunity and each other.

“Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the FRA now has the exciting opportunity to further this mission while making intercity passenger rail service available to even more communities.”

Get your news featured on Railway-News

Please fill in the contact form opposite. A member of the team will be in touch shortly.







    We'd love to send you the latest news and information from the world of Railway-News. Please tick the box if you agree to receive them.

    For your peace of mind here is a link to our Privacy Policy.

    By submitting this form, you consent to allow Railway-News to store and process this information.

    Subscribe
    Follow Railway-News on LinkedIn
    Follow Railway-News on Twitter