“Golden Age of Rail”: USDOT Announces $5.3 Billion in Rail Investments

At a press conference on August 14, U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will invest $5.3 billion in rail projects across the country to improve safety, modernize critical infrastructure, and enable the purchase of new trains for Amtrak, as part of what the Department is promoting as the “Golden Age of Rail.”

The approximately $2 billion grant package comes from funds associated with California Governor Gavin Newsom’s high-speed rail project. The project was canceled by USDOT, which described it as a project that “was going nowhere.”

According to the USDOT press release, the $5.3 billion “Golden Age of Rail” grant package will allow for:

• The closure of more than 30 grade crossings and the modernization of more than 1,000 with new infrastructure and technology.
• The acquisition of 43 U.S.-built trains to replace Amtrak’s fleet on high-demand corridors.
• The refurbishment of 41 locomotives currently operating on Amtrak routes in the Midwest and along the Pacific Coast.

“We are repairing thousands of grade crossings, saving lives, and improving communities across the United States. We are also making an unprecedented investment in Amtrak because President Trump and I are committed to making passenger rail in America great again,” Secretary Duffy said.

Nationwide, more than 2,000 incidents and 200 deaths occur at grade crossings each year. Based on these figures, the FRA has decided to focus closures and replacements on crossings classified as “high risk,” meaning those with a documented history of three or more incidents and/or two or more fatal incidents over the past five years.

Billions in Investment in Amtrak

The Trump administration is also investing billions of dollars in Amtrak. According to the USDOT press release, this includes new investments to replace equipment that is between 40 and 50 years old in order to improve the Amtrak customer experience.

The Department said the new trains will also allow Amtrak to increase seat availability, which will reduce ticket costs through the company’s dynamic pricing models. The Amtrak routes that will receive new trains are:

Adirondack, Blue Water, Carolinian, Cascades, D.C. to Newport News, D.C. to Norfolk, D.C. to Roanoke, Downeaster, Empire, Ethan Allen, Hartford Line, Hiawatha, Illini/Saluki, Illinois Zephyr, Keystone, Lincoln, Pennsylvanian, Pere Marquette, Piedmont, River Runner, and Wolverine.

Golden Age of Rail: Funding for Rail Projects Across the Country

Across the country, funding was awarded to 41 rail projects in 23 states. Among the largest investments is $356 million for the Florida Department of Transportation to maintain and improve up to 910 highway-rail grade crossings.

North Carolina will receive $299 million to eliminate nine grade crossings, install sections of double track, and strengthen measures to prevent unauthorized access. In Texas, the Department of Transportation will receive $189 million to eliminate nine crossings in Fort Worth, Dallas, and Terrell, while Hays County will receive $39 million to build a grade-separated bridge.

Other investments include $40 million for Fairfield, Ohio, to close two crossings and build a new bridge; $2.5 million for New Orleans to repair platforms and canopies at the historic New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal; and $1.1 million for Crete, Nebraska, to evaluate eight existing crossings and determine future infrastructure needs.

Amtrak will receive a separate $2.05 billion investment to purchase 43 U.S.-built trains to replace its aging fleet. An additional $140 million will be allocated to refurbish 41 locomotives currently operating on routes in the Midwest and along the Pacific Coast.

FRA Administrator David Fink said the FRA worked with Amtrak over a two-year period to determine the best way to allocate these funds so that passenger trains can operate on time without causing delays to freight transportation.

“President Trump and I want big, beautiful things to be built in this country,” Duffy said during the conference.