The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a notice of funding opportunity for $9 billion to upgrade rail services along the Northeast Corridor.
The upgraded or expanded passenger rail services will stretch from Washington, D.C., to Boston, Mass., according to a Federal Railroad Administration news release.
"Every day, hundreds of thousands of Americans rely on the Northeast Corridor, our country's busiest rail route," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the release. "Americans deserve to have the best rail system in the world, and the investments we are announcing today will serve to modernize the Northeast Corridor for generations of passengers."
Funds will be issued through the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program and aim to improve the commute of millions of passengers, the release reported.
"This announcement marks the strongest commitment to date for the expansion of the national network of intercity passenger and high-speed rail projects," the release reported.
DOT also issued a Dec. 7 release announcing a notice of funding opportunity of almost $2.3 billion in funding to expand and modernize intercity passenger rail nationwide through the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program. President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law dramatically broadens the scope of approved projects, which now include extending track and improving the safety, reliability and performance of intercity passenger rail services.
“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 in the Dec. 20 release. “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.”
