Amtrak Awarded $126M in Federal Grants

Amtrak has been awarded nearly $126 million from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) competitive grant program for Fiscal Year 2023-2024. Many Amtrak partners also received funding that will improve the safety, efficiency and reliability of Amtrak service and support the expansion of intercity passenger rail.

“These grants will directly support many Amtrak priorities, including strengthening our workforce, improving reliability, increasing service and advancing an important piece of the Chicago Hub Improvement Program as we work to double Amtrak ridership nationwide by 2040,” said Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner. “I want to thank the Biden-Harris Administration, Congress, and our state, host and commuter partners for supporting the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) which made these significant grants possible.”

“This week’s CRISI grants are part of a series of unprecedented rail investments under the Biden-Harris Administration to improve and expand America’s rail networks, including our passenger rail network. CRISI grants will benefit several Amtrak routes that riders rely on every day and potential future corridors, with millions also supporting Amtrak’s current and future workforce” said FRA Administrator Amit Bose. “Under the Biden-Harris Administration and through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, FRA has announced funding for 300 rail projects nationwide—the most significant investment in American rail in more than 50 years. We look forward to our continued work with Amtrak and State partners to deliver the world-class passenger rail our citizens deserve.

The funding awarded to Amtrak will support six projects directly benefitting more than two dozen states:

Wolverine and Blue Water Capacity Enhancement: Niles-Glenwood Road (up to $8,384,000)

This project – part of the Chicago Hub Improvement Program (CHIP), an Amtrak-led Midwest megaproject aimed at improving passenger rail service into Chicago – will advance final design for plans to increase capacity along a 19-mile, mostly single tracked segment of Amtrak’s Michigan Line. This congested area impacts  Amtrak’s Blue Water and Wolverine services connecting Michigan and Chicago, along with Norfolk Southern freight trains. The project will set the stage for future construction to improve service reliability, minimize traffic bottlenecks and reduce trip times for customers. Amtrak and the Michigan Department of Transportation will contribute the required local funding match.

Grade Crossing Shunt Enhancement Safety Project (up to $58,800,000)

This project includes procurement and installation of Onboard Shunt Enhancement (OSE) devices for 443 locomotives and 192 cab cars on the nationwide Amtrak-operated fleet to enhance grade crossing activation reliability. Amtrak and partner State Departments of Transportation, host railroad, and railroad equipment supplier partners recently completed successful preliminary testing of this onboard innovative device that will improve grade crossing activations and reduce problems that have impacted train operations and fleet requirements for several years. This investment will improve service reliability and ensure continued safety protection. Amtrak and California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin State Departments of Transportation will contribute the required local funding match.

Seligman Sub Efficiency Improvements Project (up to $30,237,345)

This project includes right-of-way acquisition and installation of a nearly three-mile-long siding and a crossover in western Arizona, where Amtrak’s Southwest Chief operates. Together, these improvements will reduce congestion and improve efficiency for freight and passenger rail operations along the Seligman Subdivision of BNSF’s Southern Transcon, one of the most heavily trafficked rail corridors in the United States. Amtrak and BNSF will contribute the required local funding match.

Mechanical Craft Workforce Development Apprenticeship Training Program (up to $14,400,000)

This funding will support a three-year continuation of Amtrak’s Mechanical Apprenticeship Program for 60 apprentices. This apprenticeship program was created thanks to funding from a prior CRISI grant, and it helps to strengthen Amtrak’s skilled mechanical craft workforce responsible for maintaining the company’s fleet of trains. The three-level program will be offered in Beech Grove, Indiana; Wilmington, Delaware; Washington, D.C.; New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. Amtrak will contribute the required local funding match.

City of Chester, Penn. High-Security Fence Project (up to $7,769,421)

This project includes installation of high-security steel fencing along a segment of the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in Chester, Pa. This will significantly reduce unauthorized access along the NEC and increase safety for the surrounding communities in a high-risk area. Amtrak will contribute the required local funding match.

Roadway Equipment Repairmen Training Program (up to $6,400,000)

This funding will enable Amtrak to implement a Roadway Equipment Repairmen Training Program to attract new employees and provide a continuing education for currently employed repairmen in Wilmington, Del. and Groton, Conn. Amtrak will contribute the required local funding match.

In addition, Amtrak supported several critical grants submitted by Amtrak partners and other entities which received funding and will benefit the Amtrak network and customers, such as:

Muskego Yard Bypass Project
Wisconsin Department of Transportation

Replacement of the Livingston Avenue Movable Rail Bridge
New York State Department of Transportation

Springfield Rail Improvements
City of Springfield, Ill.

Carolinian and Piedmont Passenger and Freight Improvements Project
North Carolina Railroad Company

Coastal Rail Infrastructure Resiliency Project
Orange County Transportation Authority

This is the second round of CRISI grant awards funded by the IIJA’s vision for expanded and improved passenger rail. Last week, Amtrak President Roger Harris joined Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, FRA Administrator Amit Bose, representatives from the Southern Rail Commission and other local leaders to break ground on the Gulf Coast Corridor Improvement Project, which is supported by a $178M FY2022 CRISI grant announced late last year in the first batch of CRISI grants funded by the IIJA.

Many of the CRISI grants awarded to or for the benefit of Amtrak will also benefit host freight or commuter railroads over which Amtrak trains operate. The CRISI Program is an important funding source for vital projects, including rail safety and workforce development initiatives, not eligible under other competitive FRA grant programs.