Malloy Asks for $227 Million in Federal Rail Funding

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Tuesday that Connecticut has submitted a “robust” application to the Federal Railroad Administration seeking $227 million in funding to complete the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield intercity high-speed and commuter rail line, and that the state hopes to have the service fully functional by 2016

The federal money would come from the $2.4 billion in funding rejected earlier this year by the state of Florida for construction of a Tampa-to-Orlando high-speed rail line, because new Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott did not want to commit matching state funds.

In a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Malloy, a Democrat, pledges that the state of Connecticut is willing to commit up to 40 percent of the cost of the line, which carries an estimated price tag of from $800 million to $1 billion.

“This level of state funding and in-kind match exceeds that of any other state applying for HSIPR funding,” Malloy wrote in the April 4 letter. “Completing improvements to the line is vital to Connecticut and our region. Expanded and faster passenger and rail service cannot extend north of Hartford to Massachusetts, Vermont, and eventually Montreal without federal funding.”

The line would revive an under utilized 62-mile portion of rail line connecting Springfield, Mass., to New Haven, with trains running as often as every 30 minutes during rush hour. There would be 12 stops along the line, including the communities of Windsor and Windsor Locks (Enfield is also being studied as a potential stop along the line), and would feature high-speed rail as well as commuter service along the corridor.

Although the line would function primarily as a commuter service through central Connecticut, it qualifies for federal money earmarked for high-speed rail transportation because high-speed trains running from New York to Vermont and Montreal would also utilize the line.

“Once implemented, this line will support up to 50 daily passenger trains reaching speeds up to 110 miles an hour – providing some of the best rail service in the nation,” Malloy said in a release Tuesday. “Furthermore, this project will create about 13,000 construction-related jobs and produce important environmental energy and economic benefits. For communities in the region, the project will offer employment opportunities and serve as a catalyst for new transit-oriented development.”

Malloy said the rail line would also link to Bradley International Airport and the planned New Britain-Hartford Busway to create "one of the most robust transportation networks in the country." 

Connecticut has already committed $161 million in bond money to the project, matched by a pair of federal grants that total $160.9 million. In his letter to LaHood, Malloy writes that Connecticut is prepared to commit an additional $97 million to the project should the federal funding be approved, brining the state’s total commitment on the project to $259.3 million, which Malloy says is about 40 percent of the cost to upgrade the rail corridor.

In February, requesting $100 million of Florida’s rejected rail money. The governor’s staff did not return phone messages seeking clarification about the increased funding request Tuesday afternoon.

The state expects to complete design work on the project by 2013, and have the line fully operational by 2016. The Connecticut Department of Transportation anticipates that the line will have about 1.26 million annual riders by 2030.

Malloy said he expects the FRA to act on Connecticut’s application “promptly.” 

Read Malloy's letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.