Connecticut received $40 million in previously allocated federal high-speed rail grants on Friday, to put toward double-tracking 10 miles of road between Newington and Meriden.
The award is part of the state’s $800 million project to create a high-speed rail corridor from New Haven to Hartford to Springfield, as part of a bigger Northeast corridor rail project.
The State Bond Commission already allocated $260 million in state funding for the project last August.
Connecticut was earmarked for federal rail funding previously, but if the money was not actually released by April 8, the state would have lost the money altogether.
Gov. Dannel Malloy said he spoke with U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood extensively about the award, and LaHood made sure the allocation cleared the necessary red tape to beat the deadline.
The $40 million is part of Connecticut’s federal requests for high-speed rail funding. Malloy in March asked LaHood for $100 million out of the $2.4 billion Florida rejected in high-speed rail money.
“High-speed rail will open up a new world of economic opportunities for Connecticut,” LaHood said in a press release. “The administration’s initial $40 million investment in upgrading the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail line will create jobs now and help ensure that in years to come, Connecticut residents will have access to world class high-speed rail service and economic opportunities throughout New England.”
