Connecticut raked in $30 million of Florida’s discarded high-speed rail funding on Monday, significantly less than Gov. Dannel Malloy wanted but still more than what the state had.
After Florida’s governor cancelled the state’s high-speed rail project and lost $2.4 billion, Malloy asked the U.S. Department of Transportation for $100 million to further fund Connecticut’s high-speed rail project linking New Haven and Springfield.
Connecticut already earmarked $286 million in state bonding for the $800 million rail project. With Monday’s award, the federal government has given Connecticut $191 million for the project.
The Florida money doesn’t expand the Connecticut project in any way, just pushes the state closer to its funding needs.
“This is great news and a win for the state of Connecticut as we seek to increase mass transportation throughout the region in order to create new jobs and make our state more attractive to businesses,” Malloy said in a press release.
Plans include service every 30 minutes during rush hour and every 60 minutes for the rest of the day. By 2030, 1.26 million riders are anticipated annually. The state expects to complete all design work in 2013 and launch the new service in 2016.
Hartford has made the high-speed rail project a cornerstone of its “One City, One Plan” project. The idea is to make Connecticut’s capital city a focal point for all state and New England.
“Hartford is moving in the right direction to transform itself into a transportation center for the region and a destination of choice that will ultimately benefit the entire state both economically and environmentally by creating jobs, and reducing traffic and pollution,” Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra said in a press release.Â
The biggest chunk of the Florida rail money – nearly $800 million – went to rail projects in the Northeast corridor, which includes the Connecticut project.
Malloy noted $450 million of Florida money went to Amtrak for the Philadelphia-New York City portion of the corridor, which will ease congestion on the entire system. Amtrak also owns the New Haven-Springfield section.
