Connecticut officials, including U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, Governor Dan Malloy and DOT Commissioner Jim Redeker, have been pressing federal officials to expedite work on the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Rail Line (NHHS), according to a report in the Norwalk Hour. The behind-the-scenes advocacy is one of many steps Connecticut has taken in recent months to emphasize the importance of rail to the state’s transportation network.

Last Monday, new USDOT Secretary Anthony Foxx made Connecticut his first official visit. Speaking at New Haven’s Union Station, Foxx said he “heard the message loud and clear about how much of a priority this is for the state,” though he did not commit to additional funding for the project. Connecticut has been asking USDOT to streamline administrative procedures for $190 million in federal grants awarded to the NHHS project. The State has not received approval to begin spending the grant money.

Foxx visited New Haven at the invitation of Sen. Blumenthal, who has emerged as a champion for rail since the May derailment of a Metro-North train near Bridgeport. Blumenthal sits on the Senate’s Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over rail issues. With the passing of longtime rail champion Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, Blumenthal is now the most senior member of the committee from the tri-state region.

Soon after the derailment, Blumenthal and Senator Chris Murphy said the incident underscored the need for a dedicated fund for rail. Unlike roads, bridges and public transit, which have dedicated funding streams within the federal Highway Trust Fund, intercity passenger and freight rail do not have dedicated funding. Instead, funding for intercity passenger rail is appropriated annually by Congress and fluctuates year by year.

At a June Congressional hearing on rail safety, which was chaired by Blumenthal, ConnDOT Commissioner Redeker testified that Connecticut’s portion of the Northeast Corridor rail line requires $4.5 billion in work to bring it up to a state of good repair. More stable funding for rail could lead to better reliability and service on NJ Transit and Metro-North, which also run service on the Northeast Corridor. It could also support other projects like NHHS.

The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act, which sets passenger rail policy, expires in September and a new rail bill could be the next opportunity to seek improvements to rail policy. Many Senate Democrats also support rolling rail into a broader surface transportation bill, rather than dealing with the issues separately. The current surface transportation law, MAP-21, expires next September.