by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:50 AM ET, Mon November 6, 2023
United States President Joe Biden announced that Amtrak has
been awarded nearly $10 billion in Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
funding for work along the Northeast Corridor (NEC).
The Biden administration revealed the money would be used to
modernize critical infrastructure, improve stations and support future
ridership growth on the NEC. The funding comes as ridership on the popular
routes continues to rise, consistently exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
“These grants will help advance Amtrak’s plans to modernize
the Northeast Corridor and unlock major bottlenecks on the busiest passenger
rail corridor in America,” Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said.
“I want to thank President Biden, USDOT Secretary Pete
Buttigieg and FRA Administrator Amit Bose for their continued support as Amtrak
and our partners rebuild this critical infrastructure asset,” Gardner
continued.
In September, the FRA awarded Amtrak nearly $200 million
through the CRISI grant program.
Amtrak has also submitted additional federal grant
applications to improve Long Distance and State Supported services through the
FRA’s Corridor ID Program and separate Fed-State Partnership Program funding
for projects outside the NEC.
The grants announced on Monday will support 12 Amtrak-led
projects through the FRA’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger
Rail Program (Fed-State NEC):
- Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program (up to $4.7B)
- Susquehanna River Rail Bridge Project (up to $2.08B)
- East River Tunnel Rehabilitation Project (up to $1.26B)
- Connecticut River Bridge Replacement Project (up to
$826.64M)
- Dock Bridge Rehabilitation Project (up to $300.18M)
- Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Project (up to $133.32M)
- Baltimore Penn Station Redevelopment (up to $108.32M)
- Pelham Bay Bridge Replacement Project (up to $58.27M)
- Gunpowder River Bridge Replacement Program (up to $30M)
- NEC South End Infrastructure Renewal and Speed Improvement
Planning Study (up to $21.6M)
- Bush River Bridge Replacement Program (up to $18.8M)
- New Haven to Providence Capacity Planning Study (up to $4M)
Another 13 NEC projects led by Amtrak’s partners also
received funding, including:
- Hudson Tunnel Project – Gateway Development Commission (up
to $3.79B)
- Penn Station Access – MTA (up to $1.64B)
- Walk Bridge Replacement Project – CTDOT (up to $465M)
- Devon Bridge Replacement Project – CTDOT (up to $245.92M)
- Delco Lead – NJ TRANSIT (up to $180.9M)
- New Haven Line Power Improvement Program – CTDOT (up to
$122.8M)
- Devon Bridge Interim Repairs – CTDOT (up to $119.32M)
- Hartford Line Rail Program Double Track (Phase 3B) Project –
CTDOT (up to $104.86M)
- New Haven Line Track Improvement and Mobility Enhancement
Part 1 and 3 – CTDOT (up to $71.64M)
- Newark Penn Station Vertical Circulation Improvements – NJ
TRANSIT (up to $59.2M)
- Reconstruction of Cornwells Heights Station – SEPTA (up to
$30.5M)
- Saugatuck River Bridge Replacement – CTDOT (up to $23.2M)
- New Haven Line Network Infrastructure Upgrade Project –
CTDOT (up to $15.4M)
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