Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced Friday that the state has been awarded $291 million in federal grants to improve the rail network via President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“The projects these grants are funding will help pull Connecticut’s rail system into a new era and boost reliability while supporting the economic growth of our state,” Lamont said in a statement. “We thank the Biden-Harris administration for delivering this investment for Connecticut and supporting our region’s rail system.”
Speaking at an infrastructure summit in Hartford Friday, Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Amit Bose said projects funded by the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program would be a boon for Connecticut’s rail passengers and the state’s economy.
“Investments are good news for the workers who are going to build these projects and the many contractors and small businesses who will support and benefit from them,” Bose said. “And as these projects take shape, they’re going to better connect Connecticut to the northeast region and the rest of the country.”
Projects to be funded by the grants include track improvements on the Hartford Line and New Haven Line; the replacement of railroad bridges in Greenwich and Windsor Locks; and a study on rebuilding Hartford’s Union Station.
“These grants present an historic opportunity to improve track reliability and set the stage for increased rail service across the Northeast Corridor,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto. “Thanks to the FRA, Governor Lamont, and our state and federal partners, we are ready to build modern infrastructure that will better connect our communities and spur economic development for generations to come.”
According to the governor’s office, the state will match $210 million of the federal grant funding, and Amtrak will contribute an additional $11.7 million.
Connecticut Department of Revenue Services Commissioner Mark Boughton told attendees at the Friday summit that money put into passenger rail provides a significant return on investment because “it’s designed to get people out of their cars.”
“We know [trains] don’t pay for themselves on a per-rider basis, but when you get people out of their cars, and you take wear and tear on the streets and the roads, and less traffic, you get way more economic vitality, and it is worth it,” Boughton said.
