The Michigan Department of Transportation will receive $145 million for rail infrastructure projects as part of a series of federal grants worth more than $5 billion nationwide, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Friday.
The money includes $98 million to improve the train tracks between Dearborn and Kalamazoo; $29 million to reconstruct four bridges along the Michigan line in Comstock Township, Sandstone Charter Township and Superior Charter Township; and $18 million to replace the Blackman Road Bridge in Jackson.
The Blue Water Amtrak line — which runs between Chicago and Port Huron — will also receive new trains to increase capacity.
The projects “will help make our nation’s rail network much safer because now state DOT’s across America will have the funds they need to eliminate dangerous grade crossings across the nation,” Federal Railroad Administration administrator David Fink said in a press release.
Duffy took a shot at the preceding Democratic administration of President Joe Biden as well as California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential hopeful, by saying the Republican administration of President Donald Trump is changing funding priorities.
“Instead of wasting billions of dollars on a train to nowhere, we are fixing thousands of grade crossings — saving lives and improving communities across America,” the transportation secretary said. “We’re also making an unprecedented investment in Amtrak because President Trump and I are committed to making passenger rail in America great again.”
Newsom has been pursuing a multibillion-dollar high-speed train system that has not yet been completed. The California governor has declared that he has been making progress by completing a central logistics hub for the system and completing 80 miles of track so far, according to a February statement.
The Trump administration upgrades will be funded through the National Railroad Partnership Program, a federal project that provides funds to improve safety and performance of rail lines across the U.S.
The FRA received 103 total applications for the current funding round and selected 41 projects worth a total of $5.3 billion. Three of the projects are in Michigan alone, while the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is a collaborator on two more.
Michigan’s rail system contains about 3,600 miles of tracks, operated by 29 railroads, according to MDOT.
bwarren@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Chicago-to-Detroit, Port Huron train line to see upgrades
Reporting by Ben Warren, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Ben Warren, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
