SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Completion of work to relocate rail routes through Springfield, as well as building of a new transit center to be used by Amtrak, will be pushed back after the project did not receive any federal funding in 2023, the State Journal-Register reports.
The U.S. Department of Transportation turned down a $138 million grant request for the Springfield Rail Improvement Project, the newspaper reports. This mean conclusion of work including the consolidation of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern rail lines into a single corridor, which had been projected for 2025, will be pushed back at least a year. A new transportation center will also be delayed. Sangamon County Board Chairman Andy Van Meter said the delay would increase the cost of the project by an estimated $10 million to $20 million, bringing the total price to close to $500 million. Work on the project began in 2014.
Van Meter said DOT did not indicate why the project did not receive funding but the county may learn more at a meeting in early 2024 for grant applicants who did not receive funding. “At some point, when we apply again, there will be an opportunity to get any advice they may have about our previous application and any changes we need to make,” he told the newspaper.
More on the Springfield project is available at its website.
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