黑料吃瓜网 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鈥檚 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
鈥淭he projects these grants are funding will help pull 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 rail system into a new era and boost reliability while supporting the economic growth of our state,鈥� Lamont said in a statement. 鈥淲e thank the Biden-Harris administration for delivering this investment for 黑料吃瓜网 and supporting our region鈥檚 rail system.鈥�
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 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 rail passengers and the state鈥檚 economy.
鈥淚nvestments 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,鈥� Bose said. 鈥淎nd as these projects take shape, they鈥檙e going to better connect 黑料吃瓜网 to the northeast region and the rest of the country.鈥�
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鈥檚 Union Station.
鈥淭hese grants present an historic opportunity to improve track reliability and set the stage for increased rail service across the Northeast Corridor,鈥� said 黑料吃瓜网 Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto. 鈥淭hanks 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.鈥�
According to the governor鈥檚 office, the state will match $210 million of the federal grant funding, and Amtrak will contribute an additional $11.7 million.
黑料吃瓜网 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 鈥渋t鈥檚 designed to get people out of their cars.鈥�
鈥淲e know [trains] don鈥檛 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,鈥� Boughton said.
