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Senators Carper, Coons highlight federal funding for Amtrak
The State Column |
Staff<http://www.thestatecolumn.com/delaware/author/tsc_admin/>|
Tuesday,
August 30, 2011

Today, Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons (D-Del.) highlighted nearly $450
million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to Amtrak
for development towards a high-speed rail corridor and other construction
projects along the Northeast Corridor (NEC).

This funding will upgrade catenary, power, track and signal systems on the
NEC between Trenton and New Brunswick, NJ and will improve western approach
tracks in New York Penn Station. The improvements funded by the Federal
Railroad Administration, using money provided by the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act, will position Amtrak to accomplish train speeds of 186 mph
for 24 miles in New Jersey, the fastest speeds in North America, while
making Amtrak Acela and Northeast Regional service more reliable. Commuter
trains from New Jersey to Philadelphia and New York will also utilize the
improved infrastructure.

“This federal funding for rail service along the Northeast Corridor is truly
unprecedented,” said Sen. Carper. “These investments in our passenger rail
system will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil, cut harmful air
emissions, ease traffic congestion and create jobs. As a near-daily rider of
Amtrak, I know that the projects these grants will support will improve
service and reliability up and down the Northeast Corridor. They will also
help to lay the groundwork for future improvements, both in Delaware and
other states, which will accelerate the Northeast Corridor’s continuing
evolution as a true high speed rail option.”

“It’s been seven months since Florida’s governor turned his back on these
funds, but I was glad that Amtrak and Delaware’s neighbors in the Northeast
Corridor were able to take advantage,” said Sen. Coons. “What’s good for the
Northeast Corridor is not only good for Delaware’s economy, but for the
nation’s. I’m glad to see these funds are now on their way to these
important projects.”

The $449,944,000 in funding is part of $795 million reassigned to the NEC
from Florida. In February 2011, Sens. Carper, Coons and other Northeast
Corridor senators wrote to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary
LaHood to request that $2.4 billion in federal high speed rail funding
rejected by Governor Rick Scott of Florida go to the NEC. The $795 million
in funding will be used to upgrade some of the most heavily-used sections of
the corridor. The investments will allow the top speed of trains on the
corridor to increase on critical segments, improve on-time performance, and
add more seats for passengers. Wilmington is the 12th busiest station on the
NEC, with 1900 passenger a day. Amtrak employs 1,099 Delaware residents and
Amtrak placed orders valued at $9,517,581 for goods and services in Delaware
in Fiscal Year 2010.

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Mike Muldoon
Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC
1010 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Suite 705
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-1880
mmuldoon@rosemontseneca.co