Federal DOT Awards $233M for Passenger Rail Projects

Abstract

Of Transportation has awarded $233 million in grants for 11 bridge, tunnel, station and other projects in eight states, most of which are in the Northeast. The grants, which DOT's Federal Railroad Administration announced on Aug.18, come from FRA's existing State of Good Repair State-Federal Partnership program, in which states, Amtrak, regional agencies or other entities contribute their own funds to match a portion of the federal contribution. Amtrak is the recipient of six of the 11 new grants, receiving $148.4 million, or more than 60% of the round's total funding. An Amtrak spokesman, told ENR via email, "There is a benefit to Amtrak service in every one of today's grant awards." The other recipients are the Connecticut Dept. Amtrak received the the largest single grant in the latest competition: $65.2 million for a replacement for a 115-year-old bridge across the Connecticut River. Amtrak says its bascule "Fails to open and close properly, which has led to cascading delays to rail and maritime traffic." The replacement bridge's centerline will be about 52 ft south of the existing bridge's centerline. The latest group of awards is the precursor to what is expected to be a gigantic next round of grants in the FRA partnership program, thanks to the IIJA.That legislation provides $7.2 billion annually for five years for the passenger rail partnership program FRA says it plans to issue a funding-availability notice for the next round in the fall.