By Railfan & Railroad Staff
The Federal Railroad Administration announced last week it would be spending nearly $1.5 billion on 19 projects up and down the Northeast Corridor, on top of more than $16.4 billion in federal and state grants announced in 2023. The funding was made possible by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Among the projects that will benefit from the funding include an effort to replace and upgrade the catenary power system on 18 miles of the Keystone Line; an expansion of Washington Union Station; upgrades to the catenary between New Brunswick and Newark, N.J; and the construction of a new station in Hartford, Conn., on the New Haven to Springfield, Mass., line.
“The Biden-Harris Administration continues to make good on its promise to deliver the long-awaited, much-needed investments to modernize this critical route,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “With the nearly $1.5 billion in funding we’re announcing today, we’re upgrading our rail infrastructure to support our economy and make service safer, faster, and more reliable for hundreds of thousands of passengers who depend on this route.”