2010 Grant Applications, Over $2 Billion Available

FY2010 funding: Michigan

Michigan is receiving $150M for the corridor development program between Kalamazoo and Dearborn and another $3.2M in planning money. From the Detroit News:

Michigan will receive $150 million to develop a high-speed rail corridor between Kalamazoo and Dearborn with funds awarded through the 2010 High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program. Announcement of the federal funds was made by the office of Congressman John Dingell, D-Dearborn.

An additional $3.2 million also will be awarded to the state from the U.S. Department of Transportation to pay for planning involved in the project

FY2010 funding: Virginia

Virginia is receiving $45M in funding, primarily for preliminary engineering on the Richmond-DC segment. From WTOP

The Federal Railroad Administration is awarding $45.4 million to Virginia to start developing high-speed passenger rail service between Richmond and Washington, D.C.

Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner announced the grant Monday. They say the money will allow the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transit to complete preliminary engineering and an environmental-impact study.

FY 2010 Funding: Connecticut

Connecticut is receiving $120.9M for New Haven- Springfield; about half of what was requested. From the New Haven Register:

The U.S. Department of Transportation is awarding a major federal grant to support the planned high-speed rail line between New Haven and Springfield, Mass., according to U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd’s office.

The grant will total $120.9 million, according to a source who would not speak on the record. Dodd’s office would not confirm the amount the state will receive. It brings the total of state and federal money committed to the project to almost $421 million.

FY2010 Funding: Iowa

Iowa and Illinois are receiving $230M for the Chicago-Iowa City route. This is in addition to the $10M grant for the Moline station through Tiger II, so they are getting almost everything that they asked for. From the Des Moines Register:

Gov. Chet Culver said today he has been notified that federal officials have awarded $230 million to establish passenger train service between Chicago and Iowa City.

The 219.5-mile route will provide twice-daily, round trip service at maximum speeds of 79 mph and have an expected travel time of less than five hours.

The $715 million for CA HSR is new money from the FY2010 HSIPR funding. The news articles on the CA awards say CA got $902 million total; may have to wait a day or two to see if that was all HSIPR funds or there were some awards from other funding sources.

But if CA HSR got $715 to $902 million and Florida got $800 million, that is a big chunk of the $2.3 billion. Just did google searches and found:

Chicago-Iowa City corridor got funded at $230 million - http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20 ... 25016/1079.
New Haven - Springfield corridor partially funded at $121 million - http://www.courant.com/news/breaking/hc ... 4894.story.
Chicago-Detroit partially funded at $150 million - http://www.detnews.com/article/20101025 ... rail-route

Not much left from the $2.3 billion at this point.

mkellerm wrote:FY2010 Funding: Iowa
Iowa and Illinois are receiving $230M for the Chicago-Iowa City route. This is in addition to the $10M grant for the Moline station through Tiger II, so they are getting almost everything that they asked for.

Beat me to it on the announcements so far!

Just found an news article that GA, NC, and I guess SC will get planning funds for the Charlotte NC to Atlanta corridor. GA got $4.1 million, don't see yet what NC or SC got. Nor whether NC got any of it's applications granted for actual projects on the Charlotte-Raleigh corridor.

It looks like Virginia got all of the money it requested. Connecticut is short by $100M from its proposal. Chicago-Quad Cities is basically fully funded.

Michigan got half of the money for its Kalamazoo-Dearborn proposal, plus (it appears) funding for West Detroit under the FY09 funding (50/50) and some FY10 planning funds. It will be interesting to see what the Michigan money goes for; the proposal called for half of the $300M to be used to acquire the railroad and the other half for improvements. If they buy the route without the money to improve it, speeds will go down (as they are now) due to lack of maintenance. On the other hand, it is not clear that NS will agree to the improvements without the transfer. It should be interesting.

Here are the details for the California money:

California high-speed rail program in the Central Valley. $715,000,000
Statewide Rolling Stock Acquisition. $100,000,000
San Onofre-San Diego Positive Train Control implementation. $24,900,000
San Francisco-San Jose High-Speed Rail. $16,000,000
Moorpark-San Onofre Signal and Communication System Improvements in California. $13,500,000
San Diego: PE/NEPA for Double Track. $10,000,000
Del Mar: PE/NEPA for Second Track, Bridge, Signal Improvements in California. $7,000,000
Oceanside: PE/NEPA for Bridge Replacement with Double Track. $4,000,000
Pacific Surfliner: PE/NEPA for Double Track, Curve Realignments. $4,000,000
Raymer-Bernson: PE/NEPA for Double Track, Grade Crossings, New Bridges, New Platform. $1,564,000
California State Rail Plan. $1,500,000
Los Angeles-San Luis Obispo Corridor Plan. $1,360,000
Seacliff: PE/NEPA for Track Realignment, Siding Extension. $950,000
Van Nuys Boulevard: PE/NEPA for Bridge Widening, New Platform, System Improvements. $800,000
Multi-state (AZ, CA and NV) funding for the western high-speed rail (HSR) alliance service area plan. $500,000
Pacific Surfliner: PE/NEPA for Double Track. $400,000
Los Angeles-San Francisco Corridor Plan. $300,000
Bakersfield-Oakland-Sacramento (San Joaquin) Corridor Plan. $300,000

The money for new rolling stock is interesting, since this was originally going to be financed by Prop 1B money. Most of the planning/PTC funding is going to the Surfliner route; the Capitol Corridor looks like it was shut out.

mkellerm wrote: Most of the planning/PTC funding is going to the Surfliner route; the Capitol Corridor looks like it was shut out.

I don't find that surprising because the Surfliner runs mostly on BNSF tracks while the Capitol corridor runs mostly on UP tracks, and we all know which railroad is friendlier to passenger train operations.

A few smaller grants from New England, via Lt Gov Murphy (Massachusetts):

* $32.5M in planning funds for South Station expansion
* $2.24M in planning funds for Concord NH-Boston (to NH)
* $600K in planning funds for the Downeaster (NNEPRA)
* $10M in planning funds for the multi-state NEC proposal.

mkellerm wrote:Michigan got half of the money for its Kalamazoo-Dearborn proposal, plus (it appears) funding for West Detroit under the FY09 funding (50/50) and some FY10 planning funds. It will be interesting to see what the Michigan money goes for; the proposal called for half of the $300M to be used to acquire the railroad and the other half for improvements. If they buy the route without the money to improve it, speeds will go down (as they are now) due to lack of maintenance. On the other hand, it is not clear that NS will agree to the improvements without the transfer. It should be interesting.

Maybe the thinking is to provide enough funding for the improvements, so Michigan can go to NS, see we have money for track work to keep it as a well maintained line and then lean on NS to lower their price. Whether Michigan can get a lower price from NS, they can still file an application next year for the rest of the funding and the other Chi-Detroit -\projects that apparently did not granted this year.

a futuristic bullet-train system
from http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/10/25/213 ... z13P3xzYRI

What a silly expression. As there are several similar systems already in operation, how can it be "futuristic"? Writers like that are very irritating.

mkellerm wrote: Statewide Rolling Stock Acquisition. $100,000,000


The money for new rolling stock is interesting, since this was originally going to be financed by Prop 1B money. Most of the planning/PTC funding is going to the Surfliner route; the Capitol Corridor looks like it was shut out.

Where can I find details on the planning and time line of the purchase?

george matthews wrote:

a futuristic bullet-train system
from http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/10/25/213 ... z13P3xzYRI

What a silly expression. As there are several similar systems already in operation, how can it be "futuristic"? Writers like that are very irritating.

I agree, but you also have to remember to most Americans outside the NEC, high speed trains really do look like something out of a SF movie- all they've ever seen before is a lumbering Amtrak train pulled by a diesel loco basically modified from a freight design. Here in Japan, the "future" of passenger rail has been running for 46 years now.

Here in Japan, the "future" of passenger rail has been running for 46 years now.

Indeed. And in Britain, too, if you count 125 being 'high speed'.