13-05-2025
$157M in federal funding committed for Springfield railroad project
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The final segment of the Springfield Rail Improvements projects can move forward, after lawmakers announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has officially budgeted over $157 million in federal funding for the project.
This comes after the Trump Administration directed federal agencies to pause 'all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance,' earlier this year.
IL lawmakers announce $157M in funding toward Springfield rail project
The $157,126,494 project is part of a local, state and federal partnership designed to reduce rail congestion in downtown Springfield. Once the project is finished, it'll consolidate train traffic from Third Street the 10th Street and construct a series of overpasses and underpasses along the corridor.
Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) said this project will connect communities and build a more reliable transportation system for the future.
'Securing funding for the Springfield Rail Improvements Project has been a top priority of mine, and with the funding now finalized, we're one step closer to transforming our downtown, reducing rail noise, and making our streets safer. This project is also creating good-paying union jobs, benefiting families across our community,' Budzinski said in a news release.
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This phase of the project includes includes rail improvements, track realignment, and the construction of a new Amtrak Station in Springfield. It will consolidate the Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern corridors into one multitrack corridor through the city, which will — hopefully — lead to a high speed passenger rail connecting St. Louis and Chicago in the future.
'Connecting communities is at the heart of transportation and today's final federal commitment for a new Amtrak Station, rail improvements, and track realignment in Springfield will better connect passengers between St. Louis and Chicago,' Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said in a news release. 'The Springfield Rail Improvements Project is dramatically changing downtown Springfield by reducing rail congestion, creating jobs, and improving safety for passengers, drivers, and pedestrians.'
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Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) added that investing in rail infrastructure will help grow Illinois' economy. And, after pushing for this project alongside Durbin and Budzinski, Duckworth is 'grateful' to see this project move towards completion.
'This federal investment will go a long way in helping us build a new multimodal transportation center, improve efficiency for passengers traveling between St. Louis and Chicago and support good-paying jobs while making Springfield safer for pedestrians and drivers,' Duckworth said in a news release.
The project includes the construction of a Multimodal Transportation Center. It will improve public transportation connectivity among intercity passenger rail, local bus service, and intercity bus service.
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