Massachusetts receives $1.8M in federal funding for rail projects

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Massachusetts will receive nearly $1.8 million in federal funding through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program to improve rail infrastructure, enhance safety, and improve train capacity in Western Massachusetts near Springfield Union Station.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) will upgrade tracks and signals and improve infrastructure. The agency is providing a 50 percent match.

Funding will also be used for work that will support the Amtrak Springfield Line, the CSX Boston Albany Line, small segments of the former Armory Branch and Knowledge Corridor, and the future East-West passenger rail service.

MassDOT also filed a second application for a pre-Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding round of the CRISI program through the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration, seeking $12 million for safety and other improvements along the Knowledge Corridor.

The corridor runs parallel to the Connecticut River in Western Massachusetts. Funding would be used to install safety improvements, including blue light stations, CCTV cameras, aerial and ground surveillance, fencing, radio bases, and fiber-optic cable.

MassDOT and its partners have submitted grant applications for several capital investment projects, including the $3.976 billion Bourne and Sagamore Bridge replacement, the $1.985 billion Allston Multimodal Project, and the $60.6 million Schell Pedestrian Bridge in Northfield.