In January, President Obama announced that Maine was awarded $35 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds for the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA). US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood this week announced that the US Department of Transportation and the State of Maine have finalized a grant agreement allowing work to begin on the rehabilitation and expansion of the state-supported Downeaster Amtrak intercity passenger service.
The Downeaster operates five daily roundtrips between Portland, ME, and Boston, MA.
"This project is a great example of what the Recovery Act is all about," said Secretary LaHood. "We're giving travelers better options while putting people in Maine back to work and improving New England's rail infrastructure. That's a win for everyone."
Construction on the project is expected to begin as early as July 6, 2010, and will continue over the next 28 months.
The $35 million ARRA grant will augment additional funds from the State of Maine to cover the project cost, including the rehabilitation of approximately 26.4 miles of existing rail lines owned by Pan Am Railways and construction of two Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant passenger platforms. The Downeaster project will improve 36 highway-rail grade crossings, upgrade numerous wayside signals, install signals on the Brunswick Branch and result in many other right of way improvements.