Amtrak receives four grants totaling $2 million to improve service
FILE - A passenger disembarks from Amtrak's Sunset Limited at its final stop in New Orleans, Nov. 2, 2008. The Biden administration announced Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, that it has awarded more than $1.4 billion to projects that improve railway safety and boost capacity, with much of the money coming from the 2021 infrastructure law. (AP Photo/Pat Semansky, File)
Amtrak has received four federal grant awards totaling $2 million to improve service in New York state, U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko announced on Tuesday.
The New York State Department of Transportation will receive $500,000 for the Empire Corridor project to improve the Amtrak Empire Service between New York City and Niagara Falls via Albany, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo by adding frequency of service, reducing travel time and improving reliability.
The Adirondack Corridor will receive $500,000 from the New York State Department of Transportation to improve service between New York City and Montreal by completing a U.S. Customs pre-clearance facility in Montreal, adding a second daily round-trip and making track and infrastructure improvements to increase reliability, reduce trip times, increase safety, and achieve a state of good repair.
Another $500,000 will go to the Vermont Agency of Transportation for the Green Mountain Corridor project to the Vermont Agency of Transportation for the Green Mountain Corridor project, to connect New York City with Burlington, Vermont via Albany and Rutland, Vermont, dovetailing with the existing Amtrak Ethan Allen Express by providing new service to communities in Southwestern Vermont, including Bennington and Manchester, and east-central New York state in Mechanicville.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation will receive $500,000 for the Boston and Albany Corridor project to connect the two cities via Springfield, Mass. The proposed corridor would provide up to eight daily round-trip passenger trains on an existing alignment that is currently being used by Amtrak’s long-distance Lake Shore Limited.