Exploring The Expansion Of NE Indiana Passenger Rail
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced that the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will receive up to $500,000 to support the assessment and potential development of the Indianapolis – Chicago passenger rail corridor through the Corridor Identification and Development (Corridor ID) Program.
“This is a first step toward expanding passenger rail in Indiana,” said INDOT Commissioner Mike Smith. “Receiving this funding allows us to gather essential information to make more informed decisions going forward.”
INDOT put forth its application in the spring. The federal funds will go toward preliminary work in preparation for a Service Development Plan. The plan would be comprehensive in nature and include information about necessary track improvements and facilities, operating costs, ridership statistics and state support that would be necessary to begin sustainable service. There are no state matching funds required for this stage of the program.
Other corridors selected for Corridor ID funding in Indiana include:
- Chicago – Fort Wayne – Columbus – Pittsburgh (Midwest Connect Corridor), applied for by the City of Fort Wayne
- Louisville – Indianapolis, applied for by the Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency (KIPDA)
- Daily service on the Cardinal long distance route, applied for by Amtrak
The Corridor ID Program is a comprehensive intercity passenger rail planning and development program that will help guide intercity passenger rail development throughout the country and create a pipeline of intercity passenger rail projects ready for implementation.
INDOT continues to solidify the Hoosier State as the Crossroads of America by implementing Gov. Eric J. Holcomb’s $30 billion Next Level Roads plan. With six district offices and 3,500 employees, the agency is responsible for constructing and maintaining more than 29,000 lane miles of highways, more than 5,700 bridges, and supporting 4,500 rail miles and 127 aviation facilities across the state. INDOT was recently ranked #1 in the United States for infrastructure in CNBC’s 2022 “America’s Top States for Business” ranking. Learn more about INDOT at in.gov/indot.
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