INFRA and Mega Grants Target Complex Rail Projects

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced more than $4.2 billion in funding this week from the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (Mega) and the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant programs. Mega was created to support large, complex projects that are often difficult to fund by other means, while INFRA is designed to advance multimodal freight and highway projects of national or regional significance.

"Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Biden-Harris administration is carrying out ambitious, complex transportation projects that will shape our country’s infrastructure for generations to come,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

A total of 44 projects were selected in this round of funding, with 20 rail projects selected. The majority of those awards were focused on freight rail. However, the four passenger rail projects that received grants in this round of awards received $818 million in federal funding, an indicator of their size and complexity.

The Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program secured both a Mega and an INFRA grant to reconfigure track alignments and upgrade bridges on Chicago’s South Side. These infrastructure improvements will speed train movements through key parts of the Chicago hub.

The California Department of Transportation received a grant to design and construct the Madera High-Speed Rail Station, via improvements to the relocated Madera Amtrak Station location. Upgrades include new platforms, trackwork, and a station building.

Finally, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority was awarded $472 million for the North Station Renovation and Draw 1 Bridge Replacement project in Boston. The project will replace “a 92-year-old bridge that links Amtrak’s Downeaster intercity passenger rail (IPR) service and four separate MBTA regional rail lines to North Station – as well as extend and activate a two-track platform at North Station and replace track, signals, and switches throughout the project area.” The aging bridge serves as the main conduit for over 1,100 passenger trains into North Station each week, where passengers are routinely subjected to delays because of operational failures attributable to Draw 1 (MBTA reports that there were 165 unique delay events between 2019 and 2021 alone).

---

CREATE Project

EW2A

Illinois Department of Transportation

Chicago, Illinois

INFRA Award: FY 2025 - $81,301,065

Project Description: This project will make improvements along an approximately 3-mile elevated rail corridor on Chicago’s South Side. The project will reconfigure track segments and signals at Belt Junction; add a third track to the Norfolk Southern line; replace and restore 14 aging bridge and viaduct structures; and implement mobility improvements on surface streets throughout the corridor.

---

CREATE Project

EW2A

Illinois Department of Transportation

Chicago, Illinois

Urban

Mega Award: $209,877,984

(FY 25 - $9,877,984, FY 26 - $200,000,000,)

Project Description: This project will make improvements along a 3-mile elevated rail corridor on Chicago’s South Side. The project will reconfigure track segments and signals at Belt Junction; add a third track to the NS line; replace and restore 14 aging bridge and viaduct structures; and implement mobility improvements on surface streets throughout the corridor.

Project Benefits: The project is strong in State of Good Repair; Economic Impacts, Freight Movement and Job Creation; and Climate Change, Resiliency, and the Environment. The project will restore tracks, upgrade surface street intersections, and modernize signal structures at 14 locations over 100 years old. The project will also result in maintenance cost savings and reduce delays by separating passenger and freight movements at Belt Junction. It will also include signal timing and community improvements such as ADA ramps, lighting, and sidewalk/pedestrian enhancements. The project improves freight mobility between intermodal yards across the region and enhances passenger rail access to national recreation areas and tourism areas. In addition, the project will reduce emissions by avoiding detours due to track closures, and will include resiliency improvements to mitigate flash flooding events. This project committed to utilizing a Project Labor Agreement.

---

Madera High-Speed Rail Station Project

California Department of Transportation

Madera County, California

Rural

Mega Award: $54,530,000

(FY 25 - $4,530,000, FY 26 - $50,000,000)

Project Description: The project will construct a high-speed rail station for the Merced-Bakersfield California High-Speed Rail (CHSR) Interim Service. The project will design and construct the Madera Station through improvements at the relocated Madera Amtrak Station location. These include new platforms, trackwork, an overhead contact system, a bus depot, expanded auto parking, an access roadway network, a multi-use path, and a station building.

Project Benefits: The project is strong in Equity, Multimodal Options, and Quality of Life as it will increase affordable, multimodal transportation choices and connections to transit service in an Area of Persistent Poverty. The project will encourage mode shift from vehicles to trains for intercity trips across California, particularly for commuters from Madera County to Fresno. The project will also add bike lanes near the new station to reduce vehicle dependence.

---

North Station Renovation and Draw 1 Bridge Replacement Project

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

Boston, Massachusetts

Urban

Mega Award: $472,300,616

(FY 25 - $283,235,887, FY 26 - $189,064,729)

Project Description: The project will replace the Draw 1 rail drawbridge used by Amtrak and MBTA, extend and activate a platform with two tracks at North Station, and replace track, signals, and switches throughout the project area, including for an interlocking utilized by a local construction aggregate material supplier.

Project Benefits: The project is strong in State of Good Repair and Climate Change, Resiliency, and the Environment. The Draw 1 bridge is a crucial access point for MBTA and Amtrak, serving 11 million riders annually. The project will reduce operational and maintenance costs for MBTA and includes a resilient design to prevent floods and account for sea-level rise in the bridge. The project will improve environmental outcomes by reducing fuel consumption and allow for future electrification if MBTA chooses to adopt it. It will also facilitate greater freight efficiency for producing and disseminating construction materials in the region. This project is expected to utilize union labor in construction.