07.28.17

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Release Of $16 Million In Funding For Springfield Rail Improvement Project

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced that an agreement has been finalized between local, state, and federal officials to release $16 million in previously awarded federal funding for the Springfield Rail Improvement Project.

“This agreement allows projects that will create good-paying jobs, improve safety, and increase service reliability to go forward,” Durbin said. “I was proud to support this improvement project, and I will continue advocating for strong investments in Illinois’ transportation infrastructure.”

“Improving Illinois’s infrastructure is one of the most important things we can do for our state – it’s important for working families, our transit operations and the economy at large,” said Duckworth. “Moving this project forward is a win that will help create more jobs, safer transit and a better quality of life for commuters.”

One year ago, Durbin announced that Springfield was awarded $14 million in federal funding for the second phase of rail transit infrastructure improvements through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) TIGER grant program.  In 2015, Durbin secured a $2 million DOT grant to the Illinois Department of Transportation for construction of a railroad underpass that will separate Ash Street from the existing Norfolk Southern line and the proposed Union Pacific/Amtrak lines—an important component of the Springfield Rail Improvement Project and the entire Chicago-to-St. Louis passenger rail corridor.

The second phase of rail transit infrastructure improvements will support the construction of an underpass at Ash and Laurel Streets as well as the design and planning of a new multimodal facility, which will include an Amtrak station and a bus transfer location. Once the project is completed, the City of Springfield expects a drastic reduction in delays at rail crossing and car-train accidents. 

In 2013, Springfield received an additional $14.4 million TIGER grant for the construction of a railroad underpass at Carpenter Street, a critical segment of the 10th Street rail consolidation project.  The Carpenter Street underpass opened to traffic last August.