MIPRC states upgrading region’s intercity passenger rail lines

Four years ago, federal lawmakers made an historic funding commitment to passenger rail – billions of dollars for projects that aim to improve intercity and interstate service.

The Midwest has received $2.5 billion of the money obligated so far under the High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) program (a little more than a quarter of total federal funding) for 39 different projects.

That money is being used by eight states in the region to implement the first phase of a plan to bring faster, more frequent passenger rail service to the region. This plan, known as the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, envisions a 3,000-mile interstate system of high speed trains traveling to and from the region’s largest cities.

In March, during a webinar hosted by the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission (MIPRC), officials from five different states – Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana and Minnesota – updated MIPRC commissioners on how the federal dollars are being used.

To read about these developments, click here.

A recording of the entire webinar – Passenger Rail Development in the Midwest: Our History and Plans for the Future – is available here.