California

The biggest chunk of the stimulus money USD 2,344 million will go to the California Department of Transportation and the California High Speed Railway Authority.

The electrically powered high-speed rail system of 800 miles serving major population centers from San Francisco and Sacramento to Los Angeles and San Diego with over 300 trains per day is rich with airports and makes it the most ‘air-rail centric’ high speed railway proposed in USA. Phase 1 is a 520-mile system connecting Anaheim and Los Angeles through the Central Valley to San Francisco by 2020 that will pass two major airports: San Francisco International (dedicated airport station) and San Jose (station near the airport).

Phase 2 will extend the system north to Sacramento and south to San Diego by 2026 and will bring three more airports to the system: Ontario International Airport (dedicated airport station), Sacramento International Airport (change to future airport connector) and San Diego International Airport (optional airport station).

The City of Sacramento has expressed strongly its support in developing the entire length of the corridor and bringing the line all the way to downtown where it would meet the Regional Transit LRT system and the airport connection presently under development (Downtown Natomas Airport project), Amtrak long-haul passenger trains, and the Capitol Corridor intercity rail service.

More info at: www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov

Chicago – St. Louis – Kansas City

USD 1,133 million will go to the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Missouri Department of Transportation for the Chicago – St. Louis – Kansas City corridor development.

Currently five daily round trips operate between Chicago and St. Louis and two daily round trips operate between St. Louis and Kansas City. Ultimately, the long-term vision for the corridor is to reach speeds of 110 mph from Chicago to St. Louis to Kansas City, with up to eight daily round trips between Chicago and St. Louis.

The grant includes planning funds for a proposed study by the Midwest High Speed Rail Association (MHSRA) of a 220 mph high speed rail line that would cut the trip between Chicago and St. Louis to just over two hours. The ultra-fast electric-powered service would complement the new 110 mph lines. The line would also serve Downtown Chicago, O’Hare Airport, Kankakee, Champaign, Decatur, Springfield, Edwardsville and St. Louis.

The 220 mph line would be the first leg of the proposed Midwest HSR 220 network, which by 2030 could link Chicago, St. Louis, the Twin Cities, Milwaukee, Detroit, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Pittsburgh, putting more than 25 million people within a three-hour train ride of Chicago.

More info at: www.midwesthsr.org

Chicago – Milwaukee – Minneapolis

The USD 823 awarded to Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Minnesota Department of Transportation has raised heated discussions as to whether Madison should get two stations, including one at the Dane County Regional Airport.

The Amtrak-run service should begin in 2013 and include stops in Watertown, Oconomowoc, Brookfield, Downtown Milwaukee and General Mitchell International Airport. The plan is to eventually extend the train service from Madison to Minneapolis. Trains already run from Milwaukee to Chicago.

Improvements between Chicago and Milwaukee will ultimately reduce travel time by more than 30 percent and increase maximum speeds from 79 mph to 110 mph. Eventually, passengers will be able to travel from Chicago to the Twin Cities at a top speed of 110 mph, saving time and energy compared to driving.

More info at: www.dot.state.mn.us

Cleveland – Columbus – Cincinnati

Ohio Department of Transportation received USD 400 million for the new corridor that connects four major metropolitan areas in Ohio: Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati. This 250 mile route named the 3C Corridor will serve communities near Lake Erie in Central Ohio and the Tri-State region around Cincinnati and could make a stop a Lunken Airport.

This corridor received big interest from airport managers in the area. The Hamilton Vision Commission promoted the idea to include a train station at Butler County Regional Airport. The Ohio Rail Development Commission tagged Lunken Airport as the preferred temporary station site. Other stops being considered include a rapid transit stop near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

The state will work with local communities to identify the costs and needs of eight station stops along the corridor.

The 3C Corridor is expected to be the first phase of a long-term vision for an extensive network of passenger rail corridors connecting the cities of Ohio and neighboring states.

More info at: www.dot.state.oh.us

Pontiac/Detroit – Chicago

Michigan Department of Transportation, Indiana Department of Transportation and Illinois Department of Transportation will share USD 244 million for the improvements of the corridor connecting two of the largest cities in the Midwest.

The funds will be used to upgrade and build several new stations, including the new station in Dearborn that would be upgraded to an intermodal facility which would improve connectivity between trains and regional bus, shuttle, taxi and limousine services to areas in and around Dearborn, especially to Detroit Metropolitan Airport, which is ten minutes from Dearborn.

The existing station located on Michigan along with another rail stop located in the Greenfield Village in Dearborn would no longer be used as a rail stops.

Indiana's application for $2.8 billion to build a high-speed rail route from Chicago to Cleveland failed to win stimulus dollars. The route would have featured a major station stop at Gary Regional Airport that could have created up to 600 permanent jobs, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation's application.

More info at: www.michigan.gov/mdot and www.in.gov

Tampa – Orlando – Miami

USD 1,250 million was awarded to the Florida Department of Transportation for the construction of Phase 1 of the High Speed Rail line to connect Tampa Bay, Orlando, Miami and other communities in central and south Florida.

When Florida asked the Obama administration last year for money to build a high-speed rail line, it requested $2.5 billion for a Tampa-Orlando stretch and $30 million to advance the Orlando-Miami leg. Kevin Thibault, a senior Florida Department of Transportation official in charge of the high-speed rail programme, said the federal money won't be enough to complete the Tampa-Orlando phase, unless federal officials offer more funds in the future. Stops are planned for Orlando International Airport, the Orange County Convention Center, Walt Disney World, Lakeland and downtown Tampa.

Light rail line will also connect Tampa International Airport with downtown.

More info at: www.dot.state.fl.us

Northeast Region Corridors

Boston – New York – Washington DC USD 112 million funds will go to New York State Department of Transportation, New Jersey Transit and Maryland Department of Transportation for the completion of engineering and environmental work for a new tunnel in Baltimore and a new station at Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Airport; final design for a new three-track bridge that will replace Portal Bridge in New Jersey; and track work in Rhode Island.

The funding will provide for engineering work and the environmental studies necessary to advance construction of a new rail station building, as well as platforms and pedestrian-access improvements to allow boarding on up to four tracks at the BWI Marshall Rail Station, improving the existing ability to board on only on two tracks.

The construction of improvements to the BWI MARC/Amtrak station is projected to be USD 80-100 million.

More info at: www.mdot.state.md.us

Philadelphia – Harrisburg – Pittsburgh

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation received USD 27 million for the Philadelphia – Harrisburg – Pittsburgh corridor improvements that pass Harrisburg International Airport.

Recent major investments in this 110 mph corridor have made it the second busiest in the region, with 13 round trips per day. The long-term vision includes extension of this popular service to Pittsburgh and other communities in western Pennsylvania.

The funding includes:

• USD 25.6 million to continue improvements to the Keystone Corridor between Philadelphia and Harrisburg. The preliminary engineering work will improve signals and track. Two new bridges will be constructed and the three remaining grade crossings on the 105-mile line will be eliminated.
• USD 750,000 for a feasibility study to determine improvements needed to make high speed passenger rail service on the Keystone Corridor West between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh a reality.

The requests to fund USA 2.3 billion magnetically-levitating train from Pittsburgh International Airport to Greensburg were left out.

More info at: www.dot.state.pa.us

New Haven – Springfield

USD 40 million went to Connecticut Department of Transportation to improve the New Haven – Springfield corridor that will be used to add double-tracking to the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield (NHHS) rail line – the first step toward providing a high-speed commuter rail service in that corridor.

The plans for the NHHS line call for a bi-directional service between New Haven and Springfield running Monday through Friday on a 30-minute peak period schedule.

The current proposal would also add several new stations and enhance the Windsor Locks station with a bus connection to Bradley International Airport.

More info at: www.ct.gov

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