The U.S. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) that makes available over USD 2 billion for the projects on the Northeast Corridor under the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grant programme (FSP).
With this available funding, “we will build on investments initiated last year and continue propelling America’s busiest passenger rail corridor towards greater speed, safety, and reliability. Hundreds of thousands of passengers travel along the Northeast Corridor every day, and the Biden-Harris Administration is funding much-needed improvements to this vital rail corridor,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.
Competitive funding through the Fed State-NEC programme is guided by FRA’s NEC Project Inventory, which identifies and prioritises projects along the corridor. The NEC Project Inventory serves as a project pipeline to assist Amtrak, states, and the public in long-term capital planning for the NEC. Projects included on the NEC Project Inventory are sole-benefit intercity passenger rail projects or shared-benefit intercity passenger rail and commuter passenger rail transportation projects that are reasonably anticipated to be eligible projects in the FSP programme
After decades of federal underinvestment, funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has the Northeast Corridor on track to meet the needs of 21st century passengers and commuters.
In December 2023, FRA awarded USD 8.2 billion for 10 intercity passenger projects including the development of two high-speed rail corridors, In total, last year, FRA awarded USD 16.4 billion for 25 projects on the Northeast Corridor which runs from Boston, Massachusetts, to Washington, D.C. These unprecedented investments will rebuild tunnels and bridges that are over 100 years old, upgrade tracks, power systems, signaling systems stations, and other infrastructure and advance future projects to significantly improve travel times by increasing operating speeds and reducing delays.
“The President’s investments in rail will be felt by generations to come, beginning with immediate benefits to communities and continuing to ensure essential rail corridors like the Northeast Corridor are modern, safe, and convenient, giving Americans access to world-class passenger service. We are thrilled to announce the opening of the Fed State-NEC’s notice of funding to applicants within the NEC Project Inventory, streamlining the process for much-needed funding based on demand,” FRA Administrator Amit Bose said.
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