Hartford-Area Towns To Benefit From Federal Railroad Funding

HARTFORD, CT — Greater Hartford-area cities and towns are among the many Connecticut municipalities benefitting from federal infrastructure funds earmarked for railway enhancements.

Gov. Ned Lamont and the members of Connecticut’s Congressional delegation on Nov. 15 announced the Federal Railroad Administration is awarding Connecticut approximately $291 million from President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will be used for railroad improvements at five projects across the state.

• Key to the program is $102 million for the Hartford Line Rail Program Double Track Project.

This project is for the construction of track improvements along 6.7 miles of existing track in West Hartford, Hartford, Windsor, and Windsor Locks.

The improvements will establish a double track along this corridor to provide more frequent passenger service to Hartford and Springfield, Mass.

Other improvements include track upgrades and installation, signal upgrades, and gate and road crossing upgrades.

• Also among the funds being awarded is $2.56 million for the Hartford Station Relocation Project.

This project is for planning the construction of a new Hartford train station and multimodal hub with associated realignment and double-tracking of 2.1 miles of the Hartford Line in Hartford.

The grants, which are being awarded to the Connecticut Department of Transportation and Amtrak, are funded through the Northeast Corridor (NEC) Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program.

Connecticut’s share of funding represents 20 percent of the total $1.4 billion in grants the FRA awarded today for rail projects along the Northeast Corridor.

This NEC Federal-State Partnership investment will be matched by $120 million in state funds from the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

Additionally, Amtrak is contributing $11.7 million toward the projects.

“President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was overwhelmingly approved by Congress to modernize our nation’s infrastructure and strengthen our transportation system, including railways," Lamont said Friday in a statement.

"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. We thank the Biden-Harris administration for delivering this investment for Connecticut and supporting our region’s rail system.”

For more information and the full announcement, click on this link.