By Railfan & Railroad Staff
Amtrak and passenger railroads up and down the Northeast Corridor will benefit from more than $16 billion in federal funding that was announced by President Joe Biden earlier this week. On Monday, Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration released a list of Amtrak-led and Amtrak partner projects along the Corridor that will benefit the more than 800,000 who use the route every day.
Among the highlights include $4.7 billion for the Frederick Douglass Tunnel in Baltimore; $2.08 billion for new bridges over the Susquehanna River in Maryland; and up to $3.79 billion for the new Hudson River Tunnels.
“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda includes unprecedented investments in rail—investments that are already creating jobs, impacting communities, and laying the foundation for world-class passenger rail in America,” said FRA Administrator Amit Bose. “Today’s $16.4 billion investment in projects of national significance is a massive step forward to do even more. Federal funding made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will replace or repair vital Northeast Corridor infrastructure that has been in need of major upgrades for decades. Twenty-five projects in total will receive funding, and that means at least 800,000 daily riders will, in the future, experience fewer delays, faster service, and greater convenience on America’s busiest rail corridor.”
Funding is also being used to improve some of the NEC’s feeder lines, like the Hartford Line between New Haven, Conn., and Springfield, Mass., which will soon be all double track.
More than 2,200 passenger, commuter and freight trains use the corridor between Boston and Washington every day.