The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced nearly $1.5 billion for 10 projects along the Northeast Corridor (NEC). 

The funding is made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered through FRA’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program (Fed-State NEC) will further repair and replace vital NEC infrastructure to provide faster, safer, and more reliable service for travelers and commuters.

Keeping the Rails Running

The announcement builds on more that $16.4 billion in Fed-State NEC grants announced in 2023 for projects along the corridor. 

The NEC grants are a subset of a historic $66 billion investment in America’s passenger rail network, including high-speed rail services in the West to connect Southern California and Nevada and communities throughout California’s Central Valley, new and expanded passenger rail service to better connect the Southeast, restored service to connect multiple States across the Gulf Coast, and investments to further grow rail networks in the Midwest.

New NEC Project Funding

Projects in this round of selections will replace aging catenary structures susceptible to failures that contribute to travel delays, improve several signal systems necessary to increase capacity, operating speeds, and safety, and support planning activities to expand Washington Union Station in the Nation’s capital, among other projects, to further reduce the state-of-good-repair backlog on the corridor.

Combined with other projects selected through Fed-State NEC and funded under the Biden-Harris Administration to upgrade NEC tunnels, bridges, and tracks, the improvements will help minimize disruptions and delays and allow for increased speeds for travelers and commuters.

“The Biden-Harris Administration continues to make good on its promise to deliver the long-awaited, much-needed investments to modernize this critical route,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “With the nearly $1.5 billion in funding we’re announcing today, we’re upgrading our rail infrastructure to support our economy and make service safer, faster, and more reliable for hundreds of thousands of passengers who depend on this route.” 

Investing in the Economy

The NEC is one of the busiest and most economically significant rail corridors in the world, with hundreds of thousands of daily riders in a region that represents 20% of the U.S. gross domestic product.

Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, USDOT is investing billions of dollars in NEC projects that will benefit riders and the economy, up and down the corridor, with dozens of new projects that will create more than 100,000 jobs, opportunities for small businesses, and new economic activity.

In the Northeast and every other region of the country, FRA is modernizing and expanding America’s passenger rail network in unprecedented ways, investing in approximately 3200 projects and dozens of emerging passenger rail corridors.

“FRA has now announced grants for all major backlog projects in our NEC Project Inventory, a transparent and well-organized approach announced under the Biden-Harris Administration to modernize and improve America’s busiest rail corridor,” said FRA Administrator Amit Bose. “The Biden-Harris Administration put forth a bold vision for rail in America, and thanks to unprecedented investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and support from this Administration, that vision is taking hold in the Northeast and every region across the country.”

Fed-State NEC project receiving funding this round include:

• Mid-Atlantic OCS Replacement Program Phase 1: Zoo to Paoli Project

• Washington Union Station Expansion Project

• County-Newark Catenary Upgrades Project

• Hartford Station Relocation Project

The full list of Fiscal Year 2024 Fed-State NEC project selections can be found here.