Obama administration to give New York $151 million for high-speed train service: Rochester gets

Obama administration to give New York $151 million for high-speed train service

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20101280326

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is awarding New York $151 million to develop high-speed passenger rail service, New York lawmakers said Wednesday.

The grant money includes $147 million for five projects that will be used to:

•Repair and improve the Rochester train station.

•Rehabilitate the Buffalo-Depew station.

•Perform engineering and environmental analysis on development of a third track on an 11-mile stretch between Buffalo and Rochester.

•Improve 12 grade crossings on CSX tracks south of Albany.

•Build a second track between Albany and Schenectady.

An additional $3 million will be used to build a 2.3-mile third track north of Albany for the Adirondack Express, which serves Montreal, and the Ethan Allen Express, which provides service to Rutland, Vt.
Finally, $1 million will be used for continued planning for the Empire Corridor between Buffalo and New York City.

The grant money is part of an $8 billion program for high-speed rail included in the economic stimulus package enacted almost a year ago.
President Barack Obama plans to announce the grant recipients during a visit today to Tampa, Fla., where a high-speed rail corridor is planned to connect the city with Orlando and eventually with Miami. Obama mentioned the plan in his State of the Union address Wednesday night.
The Federal Railroad Administration has identified 13 rail corridors around the country for development of high-speed passenger service.

New York state also is part of the Northern New England Corridor that would link Boston and Montreal, passing through Albany.
"This is not everything we wanted, but it's a good start," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement.

"It shows that the administration has a good mindset towards reaching our ultimate goal — a high-speed rail line from Niagara Falls through Buffalo, Utica and Syracuse to Albany and south to New York City."
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. said the grant money will help the state with economic development.

"Bringing high-speed rail here will connect more commuters and businesses, create jobs immediately and help rebuild our economy for the long term," she said.
Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport, said: "I think the day will come when you can go from Rochester to New York City and get home by night."

According to the state's grant application filed last year, passenger travel between Rochester and Albany would be reduced by almost an hour, from the current 4 hours and 7 minutes to 3 hours and 14 minutes, by 2018.
Travel between New York City and Albany, where trains on some sections of track already run at 110 mph, would be cut by 10 minutes, from 2 hours and 25 minutes to 2 hours and 15 minutes.
BTUMULTY@Gannett.com