PUBLIC TRANSIT: Connecticut receives $120.9 million for high-speed rail corridor

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released $120.9 million to the state of Connecticut on Tuesday to advance the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield (NHHS) Rail Program, which would bring high-speed rail to the region. Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced the state’s receipt of the funds, the third of three FRA grants.

The project will add high-speed trains along the 62-mile corridor from New Haven, Conn., to Springfield, Mass. At present, 12 trains travel the route per day; upon completion—estimated at the end of 2016—state and federal officials say that number will increase to 17 round trips per day.

Construction is set to begin later in October. This first phase of the NHHS Rail Program is expected to create 9,000 jobs; a total of 13,000 jobs will be created by the end of the project, officials say.

With the addition of the latest grant, federal assistance for the NHHS Rail Program has totaled $190.9 million; this sum combined with $174.7 million in state funding brings total investment in the project to $365.6 million.