The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced it will make available nearly $9 billion in funding through the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program to upgrade and expand passenger rail services along the Northeast Corridor.
The corridor stretches from Washington, D.C., to Boston. In the last 12 months, Amtrak ridership more than doubled to 9.2 million passengers annually along the corridor.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) administers the program, which funds the rehabilitation and renewal of intercity passenger rail infrastructure.
“Today’s investments are a major step towards reversing a half-century of underinvestment in vital rail infrastructure and will result in fewer delays for millions of riders and travelers,” FRA Administrator Amit Bose said. “The expanded Partnership Program funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will ensure that the Northeast Corridor thrives as the region’s economic and transportation backbone while making its services more reliable, available, and accessible to even more people.”
The funding notice will be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday. Applications are due no later than 90 days after the publication date.
FRA made nearly $2.3 billion available through the Partnership Program earlier this month for intercity and high-speed rail projects. Both rounds of funding total more than $11 billion.