The Harold Interlocking in Queens (the work shown here is part of the LIRR's East Side Access project).
The region will receive almost $900 million for high-speed rail projects from the funds rejected by Florida’s governor earlier this year, with the majority of funds going to the Northeast Corridor. USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood spoke at Penn Station this morning.
Projects in the region will support both high-speed and commuter rail, and include:
- $450 million for catenary wire and other improvements between New Brunswick, NJ, and Philadelphia which will create “a 24-mile segment of track capable of supporting train speeds up to 160 mph” according to USDOT, and should lead to more reliable NJ Transit service on the Northeast Corridor. Service today is frequently delayed by conditions on the Amtrak-owned line.
- $295 million for the Harold Interlocking in Queens, a congested convergence of tracks where Amtrak, LIRR, and NJ Transit trains (headed to a storage yard in Queens) merge. Clearing up the interlocking will reduce delays for both Amtrak and the LIRR.
- $58 million for improvements to New York’s Empire Corridor, including a new Schnectady station and new track to relieve a bottleneck at Albany-Rensselaer, as well as $1.4 million to study a new train station in Rochester with better connections to transit.
- $30 million for Connecticut’s New Haven-Springfield line, which brings the state even closer to its “near-term vision” to double Amtrak service, run 21 commuter trains a day, and bring service to 5 new stations. The project has garnered close to $200 million in federal funds so far.
States along the Northeast Corridor coordinated their efforts this year. For example, in prior years New York had applied almost exclusively for upstate rail improvements. This time around, most of its application focused on Northeast Corridor projects.
The Midwest and California were also big winners in the competition for $2 billion in federal funds rejected by Florida Gov. Rick Scott. For the full list of winning projects, see this USDOT press release.
Photo: Via McGraw-Hill Construction.
[...] From Yesterday’s Big HSR Presser at Penn Station (City Room, DNAInfo, MTR, Transpo [...]
[...] in the corridor: An amendment that would take back $1 billion in high-speed rail funds that were awarded last month — putting projects in our region at [...]
[...] in the corridor: An amendment that would take back $1 billion in high-speed rail funds that were awarded last month — putting projects in our region at [...]
[...] May awardees include $450 million for electrical improvements on the Northeast Corridor in New Jersey, $295 [...]
[...] rail earlier this year, NYSDOT Commissioner Joan McDonald was quick to the draw, helping to secure almost $900 million in funds for the Northeast region. Part of that money has been set aside for preliminary [...]
[...] officials in both New York and New Jersey helped push for the Northeast Corridor grants, which were awarded in May after Florida rejected its [...]
[...] thanks to Florida Governor Rick Scott turning away $2 billion in high-speed rail money, New York finally has the funds to plan for the Livingston Ave Bridge to be rebuilt or [...]