American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail

The competitive grant program which allows for these improvements is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and advances the Obama administration’s vision for high speed intercity passenger rail throughout the nation.

In all, $8 billion in ARRA funds are available to states through this program, which is divided among the following funding tracks: Track One - Shovel-ready Projects; Track Two - Service Development Programs; Track Three - Service Planning Activities; and Track Four - Appropriations-Funded Projects.

ODOT’s preliminary application was filed on July 10 and it’s final application was submitted on October 1. ODOT seeks approximately $2 billion in Track Two funding for service development programs. The Federal Railroad Administration anticipates announcing the final awards in early 2010.