A total of $8.2 billion in new federal funding was allocated for major passenger rail projects across the country, including restoring service between Chicago and Seattle as well as significant improvements to Union Station, President Biden revealed Friday.
Biden visited Las Vegas, where he announced that 69 corridors across 44 states were identified for future development through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Corridor Identification and Development Program.
The initiative, which is being spearheaded by the Federal Railroad Administration, will upgrade 15 existing rail routes, add or extend service on 47 new routes, and advance seven new high-speed rail, according to a news release from USDOT. Restoring service between Chicago and Seattle, as well as through multiple rural communities in North Dakota and Montana that aren't currently served by passenger rail, will be one of numerous improvements made.
Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Corridor ID and Development Program will lay the foundation for upgraded Chicago hub corridors, placing more trains in service and adding route extensions.
The following improvements have been proposed through the program:
- Daily, multi-frequency service from Chicago to Indianapolis
- Increased frequencies from Chicago to Milwaukee to the Twin Cities, with an extension to Madison, Wisconsin
- Improved service and increased frequencies from Chicago to Detroit, with an extension to Windsor, providing a direct connection to Canada’s high-speed rail network
- A comprehensive plan for the Chicago terminal and service chokepoints south of Lake Michigan benefiting all corridors and long-distance trains south and east of Chicago
More than $90 million in federal funding will go specifically toward improvements to enhance the customer experience for Amtrak and Metra riders, under the Chicago Hub Improvement Program.
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“Amtrak ridership is soaring, and these grants will allow us to further invest in Chicago Union Station and improve our services across the Midwest that radiate from Chicago,” Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said in a news release, in part. “CHIP will help transform intercity passenger rail in the region by expanding capacity, increasing reliability, and creating better access to our trains..."
Up to $49.6 million will be allocated to a Mail Platform Reactivation Project, which in conjunction with a second project at Union Station, is being funded through the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail program. Along with repurposing the station's mail platform, the investment will enable reconstruction of existing platforms and augment capacity to accommodate growth in intercity rail service, according to USDOT.
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A separate $44 million grant will go toward the removal of defunct baggage platforms, expansion of three existing passenger platforms, addition of new ingresses/egresses and the enhancement of platform accessibly to adhere with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Ventilation and structural integrity improvements, as well as air quality enhancements, will also be made through the program.
Amtrak, the Chicago Department of Transportation, and the Cook County Department of Health will provide a combined 20-percent match for each project, according to officials.
