Officials were confident last fall that the $157 million dollar grant needed to complete the effort to relocate rail traffic in Springfield would come through. After months of waiting and a new administration, many of those representing the city say the U.S. Department of Transportation has fully obligated the federal funding.
“Connecting communities is at the heart of transportation and today’s final federal commitment for a new Amtrak Station, rail improvements, and track realignment in Springfield will better connect passengers between St. Louis and Chicago,” said Sen. Dick Durbin. “The Springfield Rail Improvements Project is dramatically changing downtown Springfield by reducing rail congestion, creating jobs, and improving safety for passengers, drivers, and pedestrians. I will continue advocating for strong investments in Illinois’ transportation infrastructure.”
The multi-phased project is a large-scale effort supported by local, state, and federal funding designed to alleviate rail congestion in downtown Springfield by consolidating train traffic from Third Street to 10th Street and constructing a series of overpasses and underpasses along the corridor.
“Investing in our rail infrastructure is critical for growing our economy and making it safer, faster and more efficient for people and goods to get where they need to go,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
This project will complete the final segment of track realignment to consolidate the Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern corridors into one multitrack corridor through the city, which will advance the efforts to provide a higher speed intercity passenger rail connection between St. Louis and Chicago. In addition to various track improvements and grade crossing separations, the project will also construct a Multimodal Transportation Center to improve public transportation connectivity among intercity passenger rail, local bus service, and intercity bus service, officials said.
The transportation center —- known as The Hub — with train and bus access, will be immediately north of the Sangamon County Building. It will include a parking deck.
Durbin’s office said since the project’s inception, he has helped to secure roughly $90 million in previous federal funding to advance the project, including a 2021 RAISE grant for the Madison and Jefferson underpasses project, which was completed last August.
“Securing funding for the Springfield Rail Improvement Project has been a top priority of mine, and with the funding now finalized, we’re one step closer to transforming our downtown, reducing rail noise, and making our streets safer. This project is also creating good-paying union jobs, benefiting families across our community,” said Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski.
“This will allow the Union Pacific Railway and Amtrak to operate on a new rail corridor and historically transform rail traffic in the City of Springfield for generations,” said Sergio Pecori, Chairman and C.E.O., Hanson Inc. Hanson is providing design and engineering for the project.
The amount of the grant has gone up after delays that resulted in higher costs due to inflation. The federal government is paying a large bulk of the tab with local and state governments kicking in the rest.
“This $157 million federal investment in the Springfield Rail Improvements Project is a transformational moment for our city,” said Mayor Misty Buscher. “I want to thank our federal partners and local stakeholders who have worked tirelessly to secure this critical funding and support the vision of a more connected and vibrant Springfield.”
