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The U.S. Department of Transportation has signed off on a $30 million High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail program grant for the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield corridor, Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy announced today.

The Federal Railroad Administration announced Connecticut would receive the funds in May, after redirecting them from the state of Florida.

The state will use the funds to double-track a 5.8-mile corridor from just north of Hartford Station to Windsor Station. The project also includes improvements to a freight-rail siding in Hartford Yard and safety improvements to crossings as far north as Windsor Locks. In addition, the grant will enable the state to advance a project scheduled for next spring to install Amtrak signal cable between New Haven and Hartford, which later will be extended to Springfield.

Once the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield corridor improvements are complete, the state plans to operate rail service every 30 minutes during peak periods and every 60 minutes throughout the remainder of the day. Connecticut officials expect to complete all design work for the project in 2013 and launch the new service in 2016. The 62-mile corridor is owned by Amtrak.