The US Department of Transportation (US DOT) has announced 5.3 billion USD in federal funding for rail projects across the country, including grade crossing upgrades, infrastructure improvements and new Amtrak trainsets.
The funding was announced by US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy in Cincinnati, Ohio, on 14 August. The projects are being funded through the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) National Railroad Partnership Program (NRPP).
Of the total, around 2 billion USD is being directed to projects that the US DOT says are supported by savings from the cancellation of federal funding towards California’s high-speed rail project.
The funding package covers 41 projects across 23 states. It includes measures to close more than 30 grade crossings and upgrade more than 1,000 others, as well as investment in Amtrak’s passenger fleet.
Instead of wasting billions of dollars on a train to nowhere, we are fixing thousands of grade crossings – saving lives and improving communities across America. We’re also making an unprecedented investment in Amtrak because President Trump and I are committed to making passenger rail in America great again. Gavin Newsom should take notes–this is how you properly invest hard-earned taxpayer dollars.
Amtrak will receive 2.05 billion USD to purchase 43 new trainsets. The Made-in-America equipment will replace older trains operating on a number of high-demand routes.
The investment will cover services including the Adirondack, Blue Water, Carolinian, Cascades, Empire, Ethan Allen, Hartford Line, Hiawatha, Keystone, Lincoln, Pennsylvanian, Piedmont and Wolverine routes.
Other services included are those linking Washington, DC with Newport News, Norfolk and Roanoke, as well as the Downeaster, Illini/Saluki, Illinois Zephyr, Pere Marquette and River Runner.
Replacing equipment that is between 40 and 50 years old will help improve fleet reliability and increase seat availability. Additional capacity could also support lower fares through Amtrak’s dynamic pricing system.
A further 140 million USD will be used to overhaul 41 locomotives operating on Amtrak’s Midwest and Pacific routes.
The investment comes as the Trump administration works on plans to reorganise Amtrak’s management structure into three entities, including one focused on fleet management.
Meanwhile, a significant part of the funding will be directed towards highway-rail grade crossings, where roads and railway lines intersect at the same level.
Grade crossings are the second-largest source of rail-related deaths in the US. More than 2,000 incidents and around 200 fatalities occur at crossings across the country each year.
The FRA said it prioritised crossings considered to be high risk, including those with a documented history of at least three incidents or two fatal incidents during the previous five years.
FRA Administrator David Fink said:The projects we announced today will help make our nation’s rail network much safer because now state DOT’s across America will have the funds they need to eliminate dangerous grade crossings across the nation. FRA also collaborated with Amtrak over a two year period to determine how best to distribute these funds so passenger trains can run on time and freight isn’t delayed.
Among the funded projects is a 356 million USD award to the Florida Department of Transportation for improvements at up to 910 highway-rail crossings.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation will receive 299 million USD to eliminate nine grade crossings, install sections of double track and undertake trespassing prevention measures.
In Texas, 189 million USD will fund the elimination of nine crossings in Fort Worth, Dallas and Terrell. Hays County will receive a further 39 million USD to construct a grade-separated bridge.
The City of Fairfield, Ohio, has been awarded 40 million USD to close two at-grade crossings and build a new bridge over part of CSX’s Cincinnati Terminal Subdivision.
Elsewhere, the City of New Orleans will receive 2.5 million USD for repairs to platforms and canopies at New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal, while the City of Crete, Nebraska, will receive 1.1 million USD to assess eight existing crossings and determine potential infrastructure improvements.
The FRA launched the NRPP funding opportunity in September 2025, with the programme designed to support passenger rail assets, improve safety and address state-of-good-repair backlogs.
The agency received 103 eligible applications from 78 applicants, with combined funding requests of 11.66 billion USD.
The latest awards therefore represent less than half of the funding requested through the programme, while covering a mix of safety, infrastructure and passenger rail projects across the US.
