Rail projects get lion’s share of TIGER grants

The U.S. DOT today announced the award recipients of $1.5 billion in TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) discretionary grants— 51 projects across the country. TIGER, according to the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association, Inc. (NRC), “has been an extremely oversubscribed ARRA stimulus program, with the DOT receiving more than 1,400 applications seeking more than $57 billion in TIGER grant support.” Rail-related projects have received $789 million of the $1.5 billion—more than 50%:

Freight rail (Class I): $356.8 million • Norfolk Southern Crescent Corridor intermodal freight rail project, Alabama and Tennessee—$105 million. • CREATE Program, Illinois—$100 million. • CSX National Gateway freight rail/intermodak corridor, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia—$98 million. • Alameda Corridor East: Colton Crossing (BNSF and UP), California—$33.8 million. • KCS Port of Gulfport rail improvements, Mississippi—$20 million.

Freight rail (short line, industrial/military): $39.8 million • RJ Corman Appalachian regional short line rail project, Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia—$17.5 million. • Quonset Wind Energy & Surface Transportation project, Rhode Island—$22.3 million.

Commuter rail: $75.5 million • MBTA Fitchburg commuter rail extension and Wachusett Station, Massachusetts—$55.5 million. • MBTA Fast Track, New Bedford, Massachusetts—$20 million.

Light rail transit/streetcars: $179.2 million • M1/Woodward Avenue LRT, Michigan—$25 million. • Tucson modern streetcar, Arizona—$63 million. • New Orleans streetcar, Union Passenger Terminal/Loyola Loop, Louisiana—$45 million. • Portland Innovation Quadran, Southwest Moody Street and streetcar reconstruction, Oregon—$23.2 million. • Downtown Dallas streetcar, Texas—$23 million.

Transit stations/intermodal hubs: $140 million • Moynihan Station, Phase 1, New York—$83 million. • Saint Paul Union Depot multi-modal transit and transportation hub, Minnesota—$35 million. • Normal multimodal transportation center, in Illinois—$22 million.

To download a PDF of the full list of project awards, CLICK HERE.