Passenger rail projects awarded more than $272 million in federal State of Good Repair grants

The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded more than $272 million through its Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair Program (SOGR Program) to 10 projects.  

The funds will aid in the repair and rehabilitation of publicly- or Amtrak-owned or controlled railroad equipment, infrastructure and facilities with the aim of improving intercity passenger rail performance. In the Fiscal Years 2017 and 2018 SOGR Program Notice of Funding Opportunity, FRA mandated a minimum 20 percent non-Federal match requirement. FRA explains the selected projects went above and beyond this requirement.

“This funding will make a significant contribution to freight and passenger rail-related capital projects in our communities, help our nation’s rail infrastructure to be brought into a state of good repair and ultimately make a big difference in people’s lives,” said FRA Administrator Ronald L. Batory.

The largest amount awarded in this round of the SOGR Program went to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), which will receive up to $76.8 million for the Piedmont Intercity Fleet and Infrastructure Investments Project.

The proposed project involves the acquisition of 13 new passenger coaches for use in the Piedmont service and an expansion of the Charlotte Locomotive and Railcar Maintenance Facility (LRMF). The coaches will replace the 1950s and '60s-era coaches currently in use and expand overall fleet capacity. With the new coaches, Piedmont service can increase to four daily frequencies from Charlotte to Raleigh to meet growing passenger demand. Aligning with NCDOT’s equipment overhaul and state-of-good-repair program to improve parts standardization on older cars and reduce stress on inventory of irreplaceable spare parts, the project will result in tangible and measurable improved service reliability and resilience. The selected project would expand the LRMF to include additional storage tracks and interior spaces for inspection, maintenance, and repair and storage of spare parts and supplies.

FRA will award up to $41.1 million to Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) for the South Station Expansion Tower 1 Early Action Project, which will replace and upgrade signals, switches, track, power systems and related infrastructure at Tower 1 interlocking, a major rail network junction at the entrance to the Boston South Station terminal area. The current interlocking is a major source of delay at a location used by almost 60,000 daily rail passengers. The project provides resiliency benefits to protect Tower 1 from the risk of flooding and providing redundant power systems in the event of power loss. Operability through the interlocking will be enhanced via upgrading the interlocking signal and communication systems to more technologically advanced systems.

Up to $37.5 million will be awarded to Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) for the Washington State Passenger Rail Car Replacement Project. The project calls for the procurement of three new consists for use in the Amtrak Cascades intercity passenger rail service between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, B.C., on the Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor. The project will replace the three Washington State-owned Talgo VI trainsets: two used in current service and one damaged in the December 2017 derailment. The loss of the damaged trainset reduced the Amtrak Cascades schedule from six to four daily round trips. The project will enable WSDOT to meet existing and anticipated passenger demand, and allow Washington to retire its Talgo VI trainsets. Additionally, the new consists will provide flexible train car capacity, reduce infrastructure lifecycle costs for the Amtrak Cascades fleet, and improve onboard amenities.

Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) will receive up to $25.7 million for the Next Generation Single-Level Coach and Cab-Coach Equipment Acquisition Project. The project will replace deteriorated, outdated passenger cab-baggage and coach cars used in the Chicago–Milwaukee Amtrak Hiawatha Service with three single-level cab-coach cars and six single-level coach cars. The new equipment will adhere to the Next Generation fleet standards promulgated by the Next Generation Equipment Committee. Replacement of the cab-baggage cars with cab-coach cars will increase seating capacity, reduce fuel consumption, increase equipment reliability, reduce crowding and improve accessibility for passengers with disabilities.

Up to $23.3 million will be awarded to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) for the Kalamazoo-Dearborn State of Good Repair Projects. The project will rehabilitate rail, crossties and track surfaces between Kalamazoo and Dearborn, Mich., and replace two railroad bridges in Jackson on the Michigan-owned segment of the Chicago to Detroit/Pontiac corridor. The track rehabilitation project replaces approximately 80,000 crossties east of Battle Creek and 15 track miles of rail east of Jackson. The project will also maintain a state of good repair and preserve passenger train speeds up to 110 mph and improve rail safety for Amtrak’s Wolverine service, which carries nearly 500,000 annual passengers. The bridge replacements at Jackson St. and Mechanic St. in the city of Jackson will replace the deteriorated existing structures with new spans. The current structures rely on temporary shoring and have sub-standard vertical clearances, resulting in frequent bridge strikes by highway vehicles. The new spans will reduce or eliminate bridge strikes and reconfigure and expand sidewalks under the structures to improve pedestrian safety.

New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) will receive up to $18.4 million for the Newark Penn Station Platform D Improvements project. The proposed project rehabilitates Platform D at the NJ Transit-owned Newark Penn Station in Newark, N.J. The project includes repairing and/or replacing Platform D slabs and joints, reconstructing platform edges, installing new tactile strips and timber rub rails, repairing the overhead canopy and upgrading lighting. Amtrak and NJ Transit trains operate on tracks 3 and 4 at Platform D. The platform restoration will improve passenger movement and safety by reducing congestion points where passengers board and alight and may enable reduced dwell times for trains using the restored and reopened sections of the platform. Amtrak joined with NJ Transit as co-applicant, meeting the statutory preference for applications submitted by multiple eligible applicants.

“Newark Penn Station is New Jersey’s cornerstone to delivering successful transit service along the Northeast Corridor and beyond,” said New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner and NJ Transit Board Chair Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti. “It is critical to keep this facility modern and efficient to continue to improve the commuter experience, meeting the region’s transportation demands, and driving the economy forward.”

The Chicago area’s Metra will receive up to $17.8 million for the A-32 Bridge Replacement Project that will construct a new grade-separated double-tracked rail bridge over Milwaukee Avenue, immediately north of the Grayland Metra Station on Metra’s Milwaukee District-North Line in Chicago. The project will replace the existing structure, originally constructed circa 1899 and rated in poor condition, with a new double-track bridge that will return the crossing to a state-of-good-repair and provide future maintenance and operating cost savings. Metra CEO and Executive Director Jim Derwinski called the project crucial to the effort to increase reliability and performance of Metra’s Milwaukee District North Line.

“Amtrak trains use this bridge up to 16 times daily on our Hiawatha Service and Empire Builder routes between Chicago and Milwaukee and the Pacific Northwest and we gladly supported Metra’s grant application,” said Ray Lang, Amtrak senior director, State and Local Government Affairs. “The Hiawathas are our busiest Amtrak Midwest route, with a record of more than 850,000 customers last year and on a pace to top that record this year, and this bridge is critical to their success and future growth.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) will receive up to $15.1 million for the Keystone Corridor Zoo Interlocking State of Good Repair Improvements Project that will rehabilitate and upgrade ZOO interlocking in Philadelphia at the junction of the Amtrak-owned Keystone Corridor and Northeast Corridor main lines. The project includes slope stabilization and reconstruction of retaining walls, rehabilitation of an existing but underutilized track, and switch and signal reconfiguration. The project area carries more than 8.4 million passengers on more than 35,000 Amtrak and Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) passenger trains per year, as well as limited freight service. The maximum operating speeds through ZOO will increase, the additional track will provide increased capacity and operational flexibility, and modernized components will reduce infrastructure lifecycle costs. This project was selected for less than the $27,600,000 requested in the application to keep within the overall funding availability. FRA notes that it consulted with PennDOT to confirm their ability to complete the project with the available Partnership Program funding.

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will receive up to $12.5 million for the Providence Station State of Good Repair and Capacity Project. The project will complete a major rehabilitation of the Amtrak-owned 33-year-old Providence Station in Providence, R.I., to adequately prepare for its continued future use. Providence Station serves 1.4 million annual intercity and commuter rail passengers, ranking it among the highest ridership stations in the Amtrak and MBTA networks. An interior rehabilitation will replace and repair assets, replace assets with assets that increase capacity and provide a higher level of service, including expanding the building’s footprint to the west and repurposing existing space, removing an external planter wall to open the station’s western entrance, improving ticketing and baggage operations, expanding restroom size, upgrading the public-address system with visual displays, updating interior wayfinding signage and increasing safety for pedestrian access to the station. The project will coincide with the completion of a bus facility to the south that will revive the intermodal connection that existed between the rail and bus terminals 30 years ago.

“Stations are at the heart of the communities we serve and paint the first impression of a town for those coming for a stay or just passing through,” said Tom Moritz, Amtrak assistant vice president of Infrastructure Access and Investment. “We look forward to modernizing the station and enhancing the customer experience at Providence Station with the upgrades coming from this grant.

The city of New Orleans will receive up to $3.7 million for the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal Platform and Plant Improvement Projects, which will complete the final design and construction activities to upgrade the station platforms and train servicing capabilities at the city-owned New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal (NOUPT). The platform modifications will bring the platforms into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), increasing platform height to provide level boarding for two Amtrak trains (Sunset Limited and City of New Orleans) and improve the step height for a third train (Crescent) that serve the station. Level boarding will improve the station’s accessibility to nearly 200,000 annual passengers boarding at NOUPT and reduce the risk of passenger and employee injuries that currently occur at the station. Additional work will expand the rail platform canopy, update the lighting, electrical, air and water systems that service trains at NOUPT, and these improvements will lead to increased reliability.