Sens. Tillis, Brown announce federal funds for passenger-rail expansion

U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) yesterday announced a $1 billion federal grant will be awarded to help fund a new passenger-rail route between Raleigh, North Carolina, and Richmond, Virginia.

The route will be along the CSX S-Line as a part of the Southeast Corridor that will better connect North Carolina with Virginia, Washington, D.C., and the Northeast Corridor, according to a press release issued by Tillis' office. The funding comes from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021.

"This $1 billion grant for North Carolina to make progress on the Raleigh-to-Richmond rail line is a big win for economic development in the region,” Tillis said.

Development of the new passenger-rail route will also contribute to freight and supply-chain resiliency in the Southeast. The North Carolina Department of Transportation and Amtrak will provide a 20% non-federal match, according to the press release.

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) announced yesterday that the Federal Railroad Administration has selected four key routes in Ohio as priorities for Amtrak expansion. On the four routes selected, the state of Ohio, Amtrak, and metropolitan planning organizations will now begin corridor development efforts, which include the preparation of a service development plan, according to a press release issued by Brown's office.

As part of the expansion efforts, the FRA will provide $500,000 to each announced corridor for planning under the new Corridor Identification and Development Program, which was created by the IIJA.

The four Ohio corridors that will receive funding for planning include:
• Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati, the 3C+D corridor;
• Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit;
• Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus-Pittsburgh, the Midwest Connect corridor via Lima, Kenton, Marysville, Columbus, Newark, Coshocton, Newcomerstown, Uhrichsville, and Steubenville in Ohio; and
• Daily Cardinal Service, increasing service frequency from three days per week to daily on Amtrak’s current service to Cincinnati between New York City, Washington, D.C., and Chicago via the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois.

"Good Amtrak service shouldn’t be a privilege only for people on the coasts. These new routes would expand opportunity, help grow businesses and create jobs, and connect communities in Ohio and across the Midwest," Brown said.