Rail Projects in TIGER II

Rendering of the Atlanta Peachtree Corridor Streetcar

Today, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced a series of investments in a range of transportation projects across the nation. As part of the Department of Transportation's TIGER II (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) program, 75 projects in 40 states were selected totaling $585 million out of more than 1,000 proposals submitted requesting more than $19 billion. Projects selected – divided between 42 capital projects and 33 planning efforts – focused on a range of transportation improvement activities, including new roadway and transit infrastructure, transit-oriented development, freight capacity enhancements and intermodal facilities. 


Passenger rail-related projects fared well, as 11 capital and 11 planning projects were chosen that directly impact various passenger rail modes. Indeed, the largest single project selected was more than $47 million to support the construction of the Atlanta Peachtree Corridor Streetcar, which will connect with the existing MARTA heavy-rail metro network at its Peachtree Center station and stretch 2.7 miles reaching 12 stops within Atlanta's Peachtree Corridor. Meanwhile, the Utah Transit Authority received $26 million in investment to aid in the construction of the Sugar House Streetcar project, which will link to the existing TRAX light-rail network at the Central Pointe station, extending two miles to serve seven stops. The service is projected to attract 3,000 daily riders upon its opening in 2013. 


Other significant capital projects include the rehabilitation of Tower 55 in downtown Fort Worth, Tex., where busy rail lines owned by BNSF and the Union Pacific intersect. The $34 million effort will allow not only freight, but Amtrak's Texas Eagle and Heartland Flyer trains, as well as Trinity Railway Express [see our full-length feature article in RAIL #1] commuter trains to and from Dallas, to navigate the intersection easier. Additionally, Niagara Falls, N.Y., will receive $16.5 million to construct a new passenger station and customs and immigration facility near the Niagara Gorge at the Whirlpool Bridge to better serve Amtrak's Maple Leaf – which operates between Toronto, Ont., and New York City, as well as the terminal destination for its Empire Service corridor trains to Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and New York City. 


Perhaps the most interesting approach supported by the new round of investment is a $20 million award to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for the development of the Crenshaw Corridor light-rail line. The grant leverages a previously-announced $546 million loan through the Department of Transportation's TIFIA program that will accelerate the 8.5 mile project by perhaps a decade or more. The route will connect the Expo/Crenshaw station on the currently-under construction Exposition Line [see our full-length feature article in RAIL #22] with Los Angles International Airport (LAX) and the existing Green Line light rail near the airport, providing rail service for the first time to communities such as Inglewood and Westchester. 


Other capital projects will include new or upgraded intermodal stations in Moline, Ind., and Des Moines, Iowa ($10 million each) as well as rail station revitalization and improvement projects in Philadelphia, Pa. ($15 million), Cleveland, Ohio ($10 million) and the Fordham Transit Center in New York, N.Y. ($10 million). A number of freight capacity improvements were also selected, and while they might not directly impact passenger rail systems, a more efficient and effective freight network benefits the entire rail sector. Likewise, TIGER II also includes investments for a number of transit improvements and great streets projects that enhance sustainable communities through new pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, accessibility features and livability enhancements that affect communities and neighborhoods with existing passenger rail service. A full list of, and fact sheets on the capital projects selected for Tiger II funding is available here. 


Moreover, the 11 planning-related projects directly related to passenger rail allow for plans and studies to move forward on transit-oriented development (TOD) efforts at the West Oakland Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station in Oakland, Calif. ($2 million) [see our profile on TOD at BART's Fruitvale station in RAIL #15], the Canal Crossing project in Jersey City, N.J. served by NJ Transit's Hudson-Bergen light-rail line ($1.9 million) [see our profile in RAIL #1], Denver's West Corridor light-rail extension currently under construction ($1.1 million), and at Greenville, S.C.'s Amtrak station ($235,000). Planning grant investment will also advance plans for new stations in Newark, Del. ($2.2 million), Madison, Wisc. ($950,000) and Lexington, N.C. ($700,000), as well as supporting studies on the east rail corridor in Pittsburgh, Pa. ($825,000), relocating the South Shore commuter railroad in Northern Indiana off of street-running trackage in Michigan City, Ind. ($800,000) [see our profile in RAIL #1), a new urban circulator system – possibly a streetcar – in Oklahoma City, Okla. ($378,000), and revitalization of neighborhoods surrounding the Metrolink light-rail system in University City, Mo. ($150,000). A full list and descriptions of the Tiger II planning projects can be found here.