Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced Friday that the state has been awarded $291 million in federal grants to improve the rail network via President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Projects to be funded by the grants include track improvements on the Hartford Line and New Haven Line; the replacement of railroad bridges in Greenwich and Windsor Locks; and a study on rebuilding Hartford’s Union Station. According to the governor’s office, the state will match $210 million of the federal grant funding, and Amtrak will contribute an additional $11.7 million. “We know [trains] don’t pay for themselves on a per-rider basis, but when you get people out of their cars, and you take wear and tear on the streets and the roads, and less traffic, you get way more economic vitality, and it is worth it,” Boughton said.
