Millions also won for Pioneer Valley Railroad’s Tunnel Reclamation and Pioneer Valley Development Project, New England Central Railroad and the Pan Am Southern’s Freight MainLine Project?

Boston - The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced another major milestone for West-East Rail. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has been awarded $36.8 million from the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) Fiscal Year 2024 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program to complete design efforts for the Springfield Area Track Reconfiguration Project. This project will make track, signal and infrastructure improvements at Springfield Union Station that will increase rail capacity and reduce congestion, further paving the way for future West-East Rail service and enhancing north-south service 

Today’s announcement comes after MassDOT won a $108 million CRISI grant last year for train corridor improvements between Worcester and Springfield, which will result in new, twice daily roundtrip Amtrak service between Boston and New Haven, CT via Springfield. MassDOT also previously won a $1.75 million CRISI grant for preliminary engineering for the Springfield Area Track Reconfiguration Project, which is now nearing completion. 

“This award moves us one step closer to making West-East Rail a reality. By making these critical upgrades at Springfield’s Union Station, we’ll be able to expand rail capacity and ensure smoother service across Western Massachusetts,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Our team at MassDOT and our entire administration has been aggressively competing for every opportunity to bring home federal dollars to our communities, and we keep winning. I’m grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration for their continued investment in Massachusetts’ transportation infrastructure and to our Congressional delegation for their strong partnership.” 

“This CRISI award is a major boost to our mission to improve our transportation infrastructure across our state and improve quality of life,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “We’re excited for riders to see the impacts of this grant with more frequent service and shorter travel times. We’re continuing to make important progress in our efforts to build West-East Rail, and we’re going to continue moving forward together.” 

“East-West rail will fundamentally transform the Massachusetts economy,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren. “Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration and Congressional Democrats, this investment will help Springfield’s residents and visitors travel faster and safer, while moving us closer to a rail system that connects our Commonwealth.” 

“This $37 million federal grant to modify Springfield rail track is yet another critical step in delivering West-East Rail to our great Commonwealth,” said Senator Edward Markey. “This money is essential to providing safe and efficient rail service between Western, Central, and Eastern Massachusetts and connecting our regional economies in Pittsfield, Springfield, Worcester, and Boston. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is ushering in generational change to our transportation infrastructure, from Bourne to Boston to the Berkshires. I commend the Biden-Harris administration for recognizing the benefits of this transformational project, and I am proud to partner with the Healey-Driscoll administration and our congressional delegation on making West-East Rail a reality.” 

“We are reminded just how significant an achievement the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was as we celebrate nearly $70 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation coming to western Massachusetts,” said Congressman Richard Neal. “Just one year ago, I joined Governor Healey at Springfield Union Station to announce a $108 million CRISI grant to support West/East Rail. Today, we celebrate yet another CRISI grant totaling $36.8 million to support the Springfield Area Track Reconfiguration Project. This funding will increase capacity and improve efficiency at Springfield Union Station, preparing for what USDOT has described as ‘anticipated growth in regional rail service.’ In other words, the reality of West/East Rail.” 

The Springfield Area Track Reconfiguration Project is being advanced by MassDOT in coordination with the Springfield Redevelopment Authority, Amtrak, CSX, and the other railroads that operate in Springfield. The project will eliminate a rail chokepoint in Western Massachusetts and Western New England by modernizing the track and signal systems, while upgrading the rail facilities by rehabilitating multiple station platforms and constructing a new and more efficient layover facility.   

“This is a wonderful development for the advancement of West-East Rail, and a testament to the importance of the Springfield Area Track Reconfiguration Project,” said Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “I applaud our Rail and Transit Division for continuing to make a strong case for the projects that will deliver enhanced connectivity that will benefit rural and urban communities across the Commonwealth.” 

“The track and station enhancements in Springfield are an essential component of the planned long-term transformation of our rail network,” said MassDOT Rail and Transit Administrator Meredith Slesinger. “Our passenger rail vision elevates Union Station as a major New England hub, with improved connections to destinations at a number of our neighboring states.” 

“Our aggressive approach to pursuing federal resources continues to deliver good news for us, so we can continue to reach new milestones in enhancing our infrastructure,” said Director of Federal Funds and Infrastructure Quentin Palfrey. “We thank the Biden Administration and our Congressional delegation for these investments which will pave the way for greater economic opportunities across Massachusetts.” 

The funding for Final Design of the Springfield project combined with the funding for the Inland Route Project provide for solid footing of the state’s Compass Rail program to implement improved passenger rail service across the state. Compass Rail advances a network of services centered in Springfield Union Station, including the existing Vermonter and Valley Flyer services that connect Greenfield and Northampton with New York City and the west-east service that will provide connections between Boston, Springfield and Albany. The Compass Rail program was recently boosted by entry into the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development (ID) program and associated federal funds needed to support required planning efforts.  The Corridor ID Program is a comprehensive intercity passenger rail planning and development program that will help guide intercity passenger rail development throughout the country and creates a pipeline of intercity passenger rail projects ready for implementation and funding through FRA’s Federal-State Partnership-National Network Program. 

Other funding awards that benefit Massachusetts include $8.9 million for the Pioneer Valley Railroad’s Tunnel Reclamation and Pioneer Valley Development Project along with $21.6 million for the Pan Am Southern’s Freight MainLine Project and $19 million for the New England Central Railroad Project’s for facility and track improvements for the Providence and Worcester Railroads. The funding will improve New England’s freight rail network by upgrading track infrastructure and other improvements to enhance system performance. 

MassDOT continues to seek additional financial resources to grow its passenger rail program. Requests for passenger rail funding are part of the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s whole of government strategy to compete for federal money that includes approximately $1.27 billion dollars in still pending federal funding applications to advance infrastructure projects that further equity, competitiveness, workforce development and climate resiliency in communities across Massachusetts.