Connecticut awarded $291 million for rail improvement projects

The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded the Connecticut Department of Transportation and Amtrak $291 million for five rail improvement projects across the state. 

The grants were awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program, which funds capital projects that reduce the state of good repair backlog, improve performance or expand or establish new intercity passenger rail service. 

The NEC Federal-State Partnership investment will be matched by $120 million in state funds from the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Amtrak is contributing $11.7 million toward the projects, the Connecticut DOT said. 

RELATED: Federal Railroad Administration announces $1 billion for intercity rail projects

“These grants present an historic opportunity to improve track reliability and set the stage for increased rail service across the Northeast Corridor,” Connecticut Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said. 

Projects include: 

• $172 million for Track Improvement and Mobility Enhancement, which includes the installation of 88 catenary structures, addition of four new crossovers, and replacement of the Longbrook Avenue Roadway bridge along a three-mile segment of New Haven Line Main Line, which passes through Bridgeport, Stratford and Milford. 

• $102 million for Hartford Line Rail Program Double Track Project, which includes construction of track improvements along 6.7 miles of existing track in West Hartford, Hartford, Windsor, and Windsor Locks. The improvements will establish a double track along this corridor to provide more frequent passenger service to Hartford and Springfield. Other improvements include track upgrades and installation, signal upgrades and gate and road crossing upgrades. 

• $8 million for the Connecticut River Bridge Replacement Project, a planning-level study for the replacement of the 117-year-old Connecticut River Bridge on the Amtrak-owned New Haven-Hartford-Springfield corridor in Windsor Locks. 

• $6.4 million for Cos Cob Bridge Replacement Study, which involves planning activities to determine the best course of action in replacing the 120-year-old, movable Cos Cob Bridge over the Mianus River in Greenwich. 

• $2.56 million for Hartford Station Relocation Project, which involves planning construction of a new Hartford train station and multimodal hub with associated realignment and double-tracking of 2.1 miles of the Hartford Line in Hartford. 

Photo by Tim Wildsmith on Unsplash