On January 28, the White House announced projects across the country that would receive funding under the High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Grant program (HSIPR). Funding for this program comes from two sources: the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the FY 2009 Appropriations Act.
Of the nine applications Texas submitted, two were awarded funding for a total of about $11 million.
$4 million in HSIPR ARRA funds will be used for adjusting signal timing over 63 miles of the BNSF Fort Worth Subdivision. The project will reduce travel time on the Texas leg of the Heartland Flyer by over 15 minutes by increasing travel speeds from 49 mph to 79 mph.
$7 million from the FY09 appropriations bill will be used to lay additional track for a portion of the Trinity Rail Express (TRE) in Fort Worth. The project will improve commuter rail service between Fort Worth and Dallas. Amtrak’s Texas Eagle on-time performance is also expected to improve once it is moved to the TRE from the Union Pacific Corridor, freeing up critical time at the Tower 55 intersection in Fort Worth.
http://www.txdot.gov/txdot_library/publications/hsipr_application.htm
