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It’s been one year since the Obama Administration announced the recipients of $8 billion in high-speed and intercity passenger-rail grants under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

In a report released yesterday, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) outline the work being done to expand the country’s passenger-rail system.

To date, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has signed grant agreements totaling $4.3 billion, which states are using to expand and upgrade existing lines; purchase new locomotives, track and other equipment; modernize and build new train stations; and plan for future projects, according to the report, entitled “States Ramping up Action on Passenger Rail.”

The report also identifies new opportunities for U.S. manufacturing and sustainable jobs. For example, Decatur, Ill.’s VAE Nortrak North America Inc. is making castings used to hold rail ties along the Chicago-St. Louis corridor. Fort Wayne, Ind.’s Steel Dynamics Inc. is making continuous-welded rail at its Columbia City, Ind., plant to be delivered for projects in Maine and Vermont.

Meanwhile, states are refurbishing or building new stations in Rochester, N.Y., Battle Creek, Mich., and San Jose, Calif., and Delaware and North Carolina are purchasing new locomotives and passenger cars. In Illinois, Maine and Vermont, workers are adding new rail that will enable the states to increase train speeds in the future.

The FRA is expected to approve additional funding for passenger-rail projects in the coming weeks, according to AASHTO. By law, the FRA must approve all funding for recovery act projects by Sept. 30, 2012.

The full study can be found at www.highspeed-rail.org.