Weekend trips to the Windy City might someday be quicker for students traveling from Battle Creek, Dearborn and Troy.
With $40 million in federal stimulus dollars from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Amtrak stations in Troy and Battle Creek will be renovated and a new station will be built near the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn.
Renovations at Michigan stations are part of a $244 million grant to improve the rail system in the Detroit-Chicago corridor.
“Hopefully this will eliminate some of the delays that current Amtrak trains have and allow for shorter travel times in the future,” said Tim Hoeffner, administrator of the Michigan Department of Transportation’s Office of High Speed Rail.
About $8 billion will be awarded nationwide to create and develop 13 high-speed rail corridors across the country. The project is part of the $787 billion federal stimulus plan.
The announcement is one of numerous job initiatives President Barack Obama plans to lay out as part of his continued commitment to job creation, which he discussed in Wednesday’s State of the Union address.
“Through the (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act), we are making the largest investment in infrastructure since the Interstate Highway System was created, putting Americans to work rebuilding our roads, bridges and waterways for the future,” Obama said.
“That investment is how we can break ground across the country, putting people to work building high-speed rail lines.”
The largest high-speed rail projects are in Florida and California.
Florida is receiving about $1.25 billion to connect Tampa to Orlando with trains running up to 168 miles per hour.
California is receiving about $2.25 billion to connect Los Angeles to San Francisco with trains running up to 220 miles per hour.
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