The US Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has made $153m in funding available for the establishment and enhancement of intercity rail services across the country.
The national authority issued a ‘notice of funding opportunity’ calling for applications from intercity rail projects seeking to establish services on a new route, restore services on a former intercity route, or enhance existing services.
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Transportation minister Pete Buttigieg said the funding allocated to the Restoration and Enhancement (R&E) Grant Programme would expand travel options with safer, more frequent, and more accessible rail services.
He said: “The quality of our intercity passenger rail services has a major impact not only on the experiences of millions of riders but also on the economic vitality of our communities as well as our efforts to combat climate change.”
While the R&E programme has been providing grants to rail projects since 2018, the latest round of funding is the first since the programme was boosted by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The funding notice continues the slew of grants given to rail projects through the landmark legislation, with tens of billions of dollars already granted to major projects including $6bn for two high-speed lines in California and $16bn for work along the Northeast Corridor.
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By GlobalDataThe FRA has also already provided funding for several intercity projects this year through its Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail and the seventh round of the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements programme.
FRA Administrator Amit Bose said: “The R&E Program plays a vital role in bringing world-class passenger rail service to all Americans by improving rider satisfaction and making possible new routes and services that will meet the needs of citizens across the country.
“Through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, FRA is helping to ensure the success of new and expanded intercity passenger rail services.”
While the US has traditionally been slow to take up rail travel, historically investing more in its road networks, the country has shown more interest in rail as an efficient and sustainable form of travel in recent years.
The launch of an intercity line run by national rail company Amtrak between Chicago and Minneapolis recently exceeded the operator’s expectations, with the once daily service running near full capacity, possibly paving the way for similar services.
Amtrak also revealed that trends in its ridership numbers in 2024 so far indicated that the operator could see an all-time record for national ridership this year.
