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Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it’s allocating $141.6 million in security grants to public transit agencies, including almost $108 million for transit rail.

Federal agencies and associations, such as the U.S. Department of Transportation and American Public Transportation Association, helped DHS determine grant recipients.

The New York region will obtain the largest grant, totaling more than $37 million, which will be allocated between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New Jersey Transit and Connecticut Department of Transportation.

The department also will grant $12.4 million to Washington, D.C.-area agencies Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Maryland Transit Administration and Virginia Railway Express.

Other grants include:
• $10 million to Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corp. and Chicago Transit Authority;
• $9.5 million to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority;
• $7.7 million to Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and other Philadelphia-area agencies;
• $7 million to Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Bay Area Rapid Transit, Altamont Commuter Express, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and San Francisco Municipal Railway; and
• $4.8 million to Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Southern California Regional Rail Authority.

DHS also will provide $6.4 million to Amtrak through the Intercity Passenger Rail Security Program to improve security in the Northeast Corridor and at Chicago’s Union Station.

The department previously provided transit agencies $50 million and $65 million in security grants in 2004 and 2003, respectively.