Amtrak, the national passenger rail service in the United States, has recently been awarded over $2.1 billion in federal funding to improve existing routes and expand their services nationwide. These grants, provided through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program, signify a significant investment in the future of passenger rail travel in America. With these funds, Amtrak and its partners aim to enhance infrastructure, upgrade stations, and develop new intercity passenger rail corridors, ultimately delivering improved service and connectivity to communities across the country.
Amtrak’s Commitment to Expansion:
Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner expressed enthusiasm about the funding, highlighting the rising ridership and the organization’s dedication to expanding services with the support of their partners. Gardner stated, “We’re eager to bring the benefit of Amtrak’s network and experience to support states and local communities as they work to bring intercity passenger rail to new communities across America.” This commitment reflects Amtrak’s mission to provide reliable, efficient, and sustainable transportation options to an increasing number of passengers.
Infrastructure Upgrades and Station Enhancements:
A significant portion of the funding, $2 billion, will be allocated to Amtrak’s partners in North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maine for infrastructure upgrades. These improvements will directly benefit Amtrak customers and host railroads, ensuring greater reliability, faster trips, and expanded service. Additionally, Amtrak will receive $108.5 million directly for station and service upgrades, enabling them to enhance facilities and amenities for passengers across their network.
Development of Intercity Passenger Rail Corridors:
Recognizing the need for improved connectivity between cities and regions, the federal funding also includes $34.5 million to support the planning and development of 69 new and improved intercity passenger rail corridors in 39 states and localities. Amtrak, with its extensive experience and expertise in operating passenger rail services, stands ready to provide support and collaboration to these projects. The development of these corridors will foster economic growth, reduce congestion on roads, and provide climate-friendly transportation alternatives for travelers.
Benefits of Federal Investment:
Amit Bose, the Federal Railroad Administration Administrator, emphasized that these investments align with President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda. The funding will support transformative rail projects that offer convenient and sustainable alternatives to congested roads and airports. Bose stated, “Today’s investments in passenger rail nationwide… are another step forward as we expand and modernize our country’s rail network, providing more Americans the world-class passenger rail they need and deserve.” The grants will contribute to faster travel times, enhanced reliability, and expanded service, ultimately benefiting passengers and communities nationwide.
The recent federal funding of over $2.1 billion for Amtrak and its partners represents a significant milestone in the advancement of passenger rail service across America. With a focus on infrastructure upgrades, station enhancements, and the development of new intercity passenger rail corridors, these grants will pave the way for improved connectivity, economic growth, and sustainable transportation options. As Amtrak continues to expand its network and collaborate with states and local communities, the future of passenger rail travel in the United States looks brighter than ever.
The Projects:
- Chicago Union Station (CUS) Projects – (two grants totaling up to $93.6 million)
Chicago is the hub of Amtrak’s National Network. Every day, dozens of Long Distance and State Supported trains start or end their routes at CUS. Two separate grants will advance elements of the Chicago Hub Improvement Program (CHIP), Amtrak’s multi-phased project to revitalize CUS and revolutionize Midwest passenger rail.
These grants will help improve the customer experience for Amtrak and Metra customers by funding renovation and expansion of the station platforms, improving passenger access and capacity, bringing the platforms into compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, and improving ventilation systems and air quality. This work also includes repurposing platforms designed for mail handling that have been unused since 2005, enabling their use for passengers and supporting long-term rail service expansion across the Midwest.
- Malta, Mont. Corridor Operational Enhancement Project (up to $14.9 million)
This project will improve Empire Builder service by eliminating critical bottlenecks that cause delays and operational conflicts for freight and passenger trains. The work involves final design and construction activities for track, bridge, signal and other rail infrastructure improvements on BNSF tracks that Amtrak’s Long Distance service operates on in the Malta, Mont. area and at the Malta Amtrak Station.
In addition to these three grants, multiple partners also received funding through this program to upgrade tracks and bridges that Amtrak trains operate on, which will help to improve reliability and reduce travel times. Additionally, Amtrak congratulates Brightline West and the California High Speed Rail Authority for their successful grant applications to build high speed rail projects that will expand intercity rail options and could interface with Amtrak’s network in the future.
CORRIDOR ID PROGRAM (each award up to $500,000)
This comprehensive intercity passenger rail planning and development program created by the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act is designed to help guide intercity passenger rail development throughout the United States and create a pipeline of intercity passenger rail projects ready for implementation.
The FRA awarded grant funding to all four applications Amtrak submitted. Another 65 applications submitted by other entities also received funding. This funding could support development of a scope, schedule, and cost estimate for preparing, completing, or documenting related service development plans.
Amtrak-Led Grants
- Texas High-Speed Rail Corridor
This proposed corridor would connect Dallas and Houston, Texas, with a new, dedicated and grade separated high-speed passenger rail service. This would provide new service on a new alignment, with station stops in Dallas, Brazos Valley and Houston.
- Long Island Northeast Regional Extension
This proposed corridor would extend three existing daily Northeast Regional round trips between Washington, DC and New York City east to Ronkonkoma, NY, with stops at Jamaica (Queens, NY) and Hicksville, NY. This would entail track, station and infrastructure upgrades to accommodate these trains and better integrate Amtrak service with Long Island Rail Road commuter service.
- Daily Cardinal Service
This proposed corridor would increase Cardinal service to operate daily, versus three days per week currently. This route operates between New York City and Chicago via Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, DC, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana.
- Daily Sunset Limited Service
This proposed corridor would increase Sunset Limited service to operate daily, versus three days per week currently. This route operates between Los Angeles and New Orleans via Houston, San Antonio and El Paso, Texas; Tucson, Ariz.; and other communities.
Other FRA Identified Corridors
Several of the 65 corridors submitted by other entities and selected by FRA will study improvements that would benefit existing State Supported, Long Distance and Northeast Regional services operated by Amtrak.
As America’s Railroad, Amtrak is uniquely positioned to support the proposed expansion of intercity passenger rail across the many corridors identified by the FRA. This includes more than 52 years of experience connecting communities across America, as well as strong teams dedicated to Network Planning, Capital Delivery and Service Delivery & Operations with employees located across the United States.
Earlier this year, the FRA also awarded Amtrak nearly $10 billion for 12 projects of national significance across America’s busiest rail corridor, and another nearly $200 million through the CRISI grant program.
