By VDC Staff

Vermont will receive $60.3 million in federal funding to rehabilitate and complete approximately 60 miles of railway along the state’s Western Corridor, a project intended to improve freight service and potentially expand passenger rail connections.

U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., and U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., announced the funding Tuesday. The money, administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation, will go to the Vermont Agency of Transportation through the department’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program.

The project will fund rail replacement, track realignment and upgrades to railroad ties, ballast and turnouts, as well as improvements to 22 at-grade crossings. Officials said the work is intended to improve safety, service performance and reliability along the Western Corridor.

The upgrades could also support expanded passenger rail service along the Albany-Bennington-Burlington route, supplementing the Ethan Allen Express service in western Vermont.

“With this $60 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Western Corridor will be complete, and western Vermont will finally be connected to the New York Penn Station line,” the Vermont congressional delegation said in a joint statement.

The funding is also expected to benefit Vermont businesses that rely on rail transportation to ship products to regional and national markets.

“For bulk commodities, shipping by rail is often the most cost-effective, and upgrades to the Vermont Railway in western Vermont will enable our businesses to efficiently tap into the nation’s major Class I railroads,” Vermont Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn said.

The announcement follows other recent federal investments in Vermont’s rail infrastructure.

This summer, Welch announced nearly $4 million in federal transportation funding to upgrade Amtrak infrastructure in Vermont. The funding will help replace the 112-year-old East Alburgh Bridge, which state leaders see as a potential step toward restoring passenger rail service on the Vermonter line all the way to Montreal.