President Biden declared $8.2 billion in grants for national high-speed rail and pipeline projects on Friday, December 8. The allocation includes up to $500,000 for the I-20 Corridor Intercity Passenger Rail Service.

The proposed corridor aims to connect Dallas, TX, to Meridian, MS, serving cities like Shreveport, Ruston, and Monroe, among others in Texas and Mississippi. It plans to establish new passenger rail service using existing alignment. The services are generally planned to operate at speeds of up to 79-125 mph, and primarily on existing rail alignments shared with other railroad operations. The Southern Rail Commission, responsible for the initiative, will outline a service development plan, building on prior feasibility studies funded by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Portions of the corridor might be part of the ongoing Amtrak Long Distance Study.

Louisiana secures funding for two additional projects: the Gulf Coast Passenger Rail Service (up to $500,000) seeking to restore intercity passenger rail service between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, and the Baton Rouge-New Orleans Corridor (up to $500,000) aiming to revive passenger train services on an existing alignment last used in 1969.

For more details, visit railroads.dot.gov. The announcement marks a significant investment in transportation infrastructure across the country.