Since 2021, President Biden has announced $30 billion in payouts from the passenger rail fund, including $16.4 billion on the Northeast Corridor, $1.4 billion for passenger rail and freight rail safety projects, and another $570 million to upgrade railroad crossings, the White House said. Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI | License Photo
President Joe Biden will travel to Las Vegas on Friday to announce $8.2 billion in federal dollars for new rail projects including a new high-speed rail system between Nevada and California.
The high-speed rail system will be the nation’s first and is projected to serve more than 11 million passengers each year, leading to fewer cars on the road and reduced emissions in the region, The White House said. Advertisement
The funding is part of $66 billion in federal money set aside for the nation’s passenger rail lines, like Amtrak, with dollars coming from Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Federal Railroad Administration’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program.
A portion of the new funding will also be used to repair aging rail infrastructure across the country to increase train speeds and reduce delays in the freight supply chain, the White House said. Advertisement
As part of the latest package, the government will finance 10 other passenger rail projects across the country, including one that will create a separate but smaller high-speed rail system through California’s Central Valley that will ultimately link Los Angeles and San Francisco, reducing congestion in the region, the White House said.
The Brightline West High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail System Project, will receive $3 billion for a new 218-mile intercity passenger rail system between Las Vegas, Nevada, and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
The California Inaugural High-Speed Rail Service Project will receive up to $3.07 billion to deliver service in California’s Central Valley.
The Raleigh to Richmond Innovating Rail project in North Carolina will get $1.1 billion to build parts of the Southeast Corridor from Raleigh to Wake Forest.
The Long Bridge project will receive $729 million to construct a new two-track rail bridge over the Potomac River to expand passenger rail capacity between Washington and Richmond, Va.
Other notable projects in Biden’s announcement include improvements to Chicago Union Station, Pennsylvania’s Keystone Corridor, and the Downeaster corridor linking Boston to Brunswick, Maine.
Upgrades include infrastructure enhancements in Montana along the route of Amtrak’s Empire Builder service from Chicago to the Pacific Northwest; and replacement of a vital rail bridge in Alaska serving both freight and intercity passenger trains. Advertisement
Since 2021, Biden has announced $30 billion in payouts from the passenger rail fund, including $16.4 billion on the Northeast Corridor, $1.4 billion for passenger rail and freight rail safety projects, and another $570 million to upgrade railroad crossings, the White House said.
In the latest effort, the Corridor Identification and Development program will allocate another $34.5 million to steer passenger rail development on 69 rail corridors across 44 states, ensuring preparedness for the imminent rail projects that will connect different cities and regions.
The current expansion seeks to add new passenger rail service in cities that have historically lacked access to America’s rail network, connecting residents to jobs, healthcare, and educational opportunities.
High-speed rail, which can reach speeds up to 220 mph, is also expected to deliver substantial improvements for commuters in well-traveled corridors in Chicago, Virginia, North Carolina, and Washington, where the newest upgrades and expansion projects are planned.
The initiative will create thousands of new union jobs in the each of the bustling rail hubs, the White House said.
Previously, Biden set a goal to launch these rail projects in every region of the country to help ease the gridlock of domestic travel.
