High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) Program

Unprecedented Investment in Rail Infrastructure

FRA has solicited applications for more than $10 billion in grant funding. To date, 39 states, the District of Columbia, and Amtrak have submitted applications requesting more than $75 billion—well in excess of the available funding— for projects and corridors in every region of the country. Approximately 99% of the nearly $10.1 billion allocated to the HSIPR Program across funding sources has been obligated.

Corridor Investment Strategy

Most rail investments to-date are invested in key corridors with a focus on projects offering the greatest public benefits, as well as those projects ready for implementation.

FRA has strategically invested in 5 mega-regions (Seattle-Portland, San Francisco-Los Angeles, Charlotte-Raleigh-DC, Midwest hub, and Northeast Corridor) that hold some 65 percent of our population and that stand to absorb the bulk of future population growth. Thirty-two states across the U.S. and the District of Columbia are currently laying the foundation for high-speed rail corridors to link Americans with faster and more energy-efficient travel options. The Department of Transportation is working with states to plan and develop high-speed and intercity passenger rail corridors that range from upgrades to existing services to entirely new rail lines exclusively devoted to 150 to 220 mph trains.

FRA has taken a market-based approach that reflects the differing needs and characteristics of corridors throughout the nation. This is being done through a three-tiered passenger rail strategy:

• Core Express services frequent trains at 125-250+mph in the nation’s densest and most populous regions;
• Regional services service (90-125mph) between mid-sized and large cities; and
• Emerging services (up to 90mph) connecting communities to the passenger rail network and providing a foundation for future corridor development.