In an anticipated move, the Federal Railroad Administration has announced that it is releasing upwards of $5.3 billion in funding for a variety of rail projects across the country.
In making the announcement, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Trump Administration is “committed to making passenger rail in America great again.”
Duffy additionally attacked California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom for his support of a much-delayed high-speed rail project whose price tag has now exceeded $231 billion.
The California High-Speed Rail project, which was authorized by a statewide ballot in 2008, encompasses a total of 770 miles and is expected to see completion, at the earliest, by 2031.
Cost concerns last month prompted the FRA to cancel up to $4 billion for the California project, with Duffy at the time noting “federal dollars are not a blank check, they come with a promise to deliver results.”
Instead, the FRA has announced $2.5 billion in funding for the City of New Orleans for repairs to the canopies and platforms of the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal; while $189 million is going to the Texas Department of Transportation for railroad cross projects in the cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, and Terrell.
Additional funding is going to the North Carolina Department of Transportation for work eliminating some nine grade crossings. The $299 million slated for North Carolina will also fund the installation of double track segments.
The FRA is also awarding a $44 million grant to the Colorado Department of Transportation for a project designed to improve rail safety in the mountainous corridors of the central and western Colorado.
In summing up the intent of the new FRA grants, Duffy remarked: “It’s simple: boondoggles are out, and safety is in.”
August 21, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
