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Yesterday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) announced it will apply for four American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants totaling $382 to help advance high-speed and passenger-rail projects.
 
The department is seeking:
• a $150 million grant for the final design and construction of Northstar Phase II, a passenger-rail line between Minneapolis and St. Cloud;
• a $137 million grant for the final design and construction of a multi-modal transit hub at St. Paul Union Depot;
• a $50 million grant for preliminary engineering and design work for the Minnesota portion of the Chicago-Milwaukee-Twin Cities “Midwest Regional Rail Initiative” corridor; and
• a $45 million grant for preliminary engineering and design for the Northern Lights Express intercity passenger-rail line between Duluth and Minneapolis.

ARRA discretionary rail grants have four funding tracks: Track 1 for capital projects that can be completed within two years; Track 2 for comprehensive corridor service development; and Tracks 3 and 4 for planning activities associated with developing projects with up to 50 percent in federal funding. Northstar Phase II and the St. Paul Union Depot hub are Track 1 projects; the Midwest rail corridor and Northern Lights Express are Track 2 projects.

Mn/DOT already has received more than $600 million in ARRA funding for transit, road, bridge, port, waterway and airport projects.