Corridor Identification and Development Program

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The Corridor Identification and Development Program, abbreviated as the Corridor ID Program, is a comprehensive planning program for inter-city passenger rail projects in the United States administered by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) under the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Each route accepted into the program is granted $500,000 toward planning activities and is prioritized for future federal funding.

Contents

As of December 2023, a total of 69 passenger rail corridors have been accepted into the Corridor ID Program. Of these, 7 are new high-speed rail routes, 34 are new conventional rail routes, 13 are existing routes with proposed extensions, and 15 are existing routes with proposed upgrades. For example, accepted projects include Brightline West high-speed rail, the Northern Lights Express from Minneapolis to Duluth, the Heartland Flyer extension from Oklahoma City to Newton, and frequency increases for the Cardinal and Sunset Limited .

History

The $1.8 billion Corridor ID Program was authorized by Congress with the passage of the IIJA in November 2021 and was formally established in May 2022. [1] [2] The FRA began soliciting its first round of applications in December 2022 [3] and made its first selection of 69 corridors in December 2023. [4]

Program

The purpose of the Corridor ID Program is to identify potential passenger rail expansion projects and to provide seed funding for planning stages. Construction and operational funding are not included. Eligible entities are invited to submit projects for consideration. Such entities include Amtrak, regional rail authorities, states, groups of state, state subdivisions, regional planning organizations, and federally recognized tribes. [1] Once selected, each corridor is initially granted $500,000 toward project planning activities. Projects proceed through three steps:

List of corridors

This list is current as of as of December 2023. A total of 69 passenger rail corridors spanning 44 states have been accepted into the Corridor ID Program.

Legend
HSR New high-speed rail
New New conventional rail
Extension Existing route with extension, might include upgrades
Upgrade Existing route with upgrades, no extension
Corridor [6] RouteSponsorTypeStep
Amtrak Texas High-Speed Rail Corridor DallasHouston Amtrak HSR1
Brightline West High-Speed Corridor Rancho CucamongaLas Vegas Nevada Department of Transportation
California High-Speed Rail Phase 1 Corridor San Francisco–Los Angeles/Anaheim California High-Speed Rail Authority
Cascadia High-Speed Ground Transportation VancouverPortland Washington State Department of Transportation
Charlotte, North Carolina, to Atlanta, Georgia, Corridor CharlotteAtlanta North Carolina Department of Transportation
Fort Worth to Houston High-Speed Rail Corridor Fort WorthHouston North Central Texas Council of Governments
High Desert Intercity High-Speed Rail Corridor Victor ValleyPalmdale Antelope Valley Transit Authority
Asheville to Salisbury, North Carolina, Corridor AshevilleSalisbury North Carolina Department of Transportation New
Atlanta to Savannah Corridor AtlantaSavannah Georgia Department of Transportation 2
Atlanta-Chattanooga-Nashville-Memphis Corridor AtlantaMemphis City of Chattanooga 1
Baton Rouge-New Orleans Corridor Baton RougeNew Orleans Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
Boston and Albany Corridor BostonAlbany Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Central Coast Corridor San JoseSan Luis Obispo California Department of Transportation
Charlotte to Kings Mountain, North Carolina, Corridor CharlotteKings Mountain North Carolina Department of Transportation
Chicago to Quad Cities Service Extension Program Chicago–Moline Illinois Department of Transportation
Chicago, Fort Wayne, Columbus, and Pittsburgh Chicago–Pittsburgh City of Fort Wayne
Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati (3C&D) Corridor ClevelandCincinnati Ohio Rail Development Commission
Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit Corridor Cleveland–Detroit
Coachella Valley Rail Corridor Los Angeles–Coachella California Department of Transportation
Colorado Front Range Corridor [7] Fort CollinsPueblo Front Range Passenger Rail District 2
Commonwealth Corridor Newport NewsNew River Valley Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation 1
Diamond State Line Newark/WilmingtonSalisbury/Berlin Delaware Transit Corporation
Eau Claire-Twin Cities Corridor St. PaulEau Claire Eau Claire County, Wisconsin
Fayetteville to Raleigh, North Carolina, Corridor FayettevilleRaleigh North Carolina Department of Transportation
Gulf Coast Passenger Rail Service New OrleansMobile Southern Rail Commission
Houston to San Antonio Corridor [8] HoustonSan Antonio Texas Department of Transportation
I-20 Corridor Intercity Passenger Rail Service DallasMeridian Southern Rail Commission
Jacksonville-Orlando-Miami Corridor Jacksonville–Miami Florida Department of Transportation
Louisville-Indianapolis Passenger Rail Corridor IndianapolisLouisville Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency
Miami-Orlando-Tampa CorridorMiami–Tampa Florida Department of Transportation
Milwaukee-Madison-Eau Claire-Twin Cities Corridor MilwaukeeMinneapolis Wisconsin Department of Transportation
North Coast Hiawatha Chicago–Seattle/Portland Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority
Northern Lights Express MinneapolisDuluth Minnesota Department of Transportation
Peoria to Chicago Passenger Rail Service Peoria–Chicago City of Peoria
Phoenix-Tucson Corridor BuckeyeTucson Arizona Department of Transportation
Reading-Philadelphia-New York Corridor [9] Reading–New York City Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority
Scranton to New York Penn Station Corridor Scranton–New York City Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Texas Triangle: Dallas-Fort Worth-Houston Intercity Passenger Rail Corridor [10] Fort WorthHouston Texas Department of Transportation
TCMC Service Expansion via La Crosse Chicago–St. Paul Wisconsin Department of Transportation
Wilmington to Raleigh, North Carolina, Corridor WilmingtonRaleigh North Carolina Department of Transportation
Winston-Salem to Raleigh, North Carolina, Corridor Winston-SalemRaleigh
Amtrak to Long Island Washington–New York City–Ronkonkoma Amtrak Extension
Capitol Corridor Extensions to San Francisco, Salinas, Novato, Sparks California Department of Transportation
Downeaster Corridor BostonBrunswickRockland Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority
Green Mountain Corridor New York City–BenningtonBurlington Vermont Agency of Transportation
Hannibal Extension of Existing Chicago-Quincy Corridor Chicago–QuincyHannibal Missouri Department of Transportation
Heartland Flyer Extension Fort WorthOklahoma CityNewton Kansas Department of Transportation
Kansas City, MO, to St Joseph, MO [11] St. LouisKansas CitySt. Joseph Missouri Department of Transportation
Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor San Luis Obispo–San Diego–San Ysidro California Department of Transportation
Milwaukee to Green Bay (Hiawatha Service Extension) Chicago–MilwaukeeGreen Bay Wisconsin Department of Transportation
San Joaquin Valley Corridor Merced/OaklandSacramentoRedding California Department of Transportation
Vermonter Corridor WashingtonSt. AlbansMontreal Vermont Agency of Transportation
Washington, D.C., to Bristol, VA, Corridor WashingtonRoanokeBristol Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation
Wolverine Corridor Chicago–Detroit–Windsor Michigan Department of Transportation
Adirondack Corridor New York City–Montreal New York State Department of Transportation Upgrade
Amtrak Cascades Corridor EugeneVancouver Washington State Department of Transportation
Anchorage North & South Corridor FairbanksSeward Alaska Railroad Corporation
Charlotte, North Carolina, to Washington, D.C., Corridor CharlotteWashington North Carolina Department of Transportation
Chicago to Carbondale Corridor Chicago–Carbondale Illinois Department of Transportation
Chicago to Grand Rapids Corridor Chicago–Grand Rapids Michigan Department of Transportation
Chicago to Port Huron Corridor Chicago–Port Huron
Chicago to St. Louis Higher-Speed Rail Corridor Chicago–St. Louis Illinois Department of Transportation
Daily Cardinal Service New York City–Chicago Amtrak
Daily Sunset Limited Service New Orleans–Los Angeles
Empire Corridor New York City–Niagara Falls New York State Department of Transportation
Hartford Line Corridor New HavenSpringfield Connecticut Department of Transportation
Indianapolis-Chicago Corridor [12] Indianapolis–Chicago Indiana Department of Transportation
Keystone Corridor: Pittsburgh to Philadelphia PhiladelphiaPittsburgh Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Milwaukee to Chicago Hiawatha Service Expansion Milwaukee–Chicago Wisconsin Department of Transportation

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References

  1. 1 2 Johnston, Bob (17 May 2022). "FRA unveils Corridor ID and Development program: news and analysis". Trains. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  2. "Corridor Identification and Development Program". railroads.dot.gov. Federal Railroad Administration . Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  3. "FRA Begins Soliciting Proposals Through First-of-its-kind Program to Advance New and Enhanced Intercity Passenger Rail Corridors". Federal Railroad Administration. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  4. Lassen, David (8 December 2023). "Full list of passenger routes in FRA Corridor program released". Trains. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  5. "Notice of Solicitation of Corridor Proposals and Funding Opportunity for the Corridor Identification and Development Program". Federal Register. Federal Railroad Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  6. "FY22 Corridor Identification and Development Program Selections" (PDF). railroads.dot.gov. Federal Railroad Administration. December 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  7. Front Range Passenger Rail District (March 27, 2023). "Corridor Identification and Development Application: Front Range Corridor Proposal" (PDF).
  8. Texas Department of Transportation (March 2023). "FY 2022 Corridor Identification and Development Application: Texas Triangle: Houston–San Antonio Intercity Passenger Rail Corridor" (PDF).
  9. Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority (March 2023). "FY 2022 Corridor Identification and Development Application: Reading–Philadelphia–New York Corridor" (PDF).
  10. Texas Department of Transportation (March 2023). "FY 2022 Corridor Identification and Development Application: Texas Triangle: Dallas–Fort Worth–Houston Intercity Passenger Rail Corridor" (PDF).
  11. Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission (March 2023). "FY Corridor Identification and Development Program: Kansas City, MO–St. Joseph, MO" (PDF).
  12. Indiana Department of Transportation (March 2023). "FY 2022 Corridor Identification and Development Application: Indianapolis-Chicago Corridor" (PDF).