(The following story by Paul Nussbaum appeared on the Philadelphia Inquirer website on October 6, 2009.)
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania has applied for $3.1 billion in federal stimulus funds to build high-speed railroad projects.
The state Department of Transportation is seeking money from an $8 billion fund established for high-speed rail as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
PennDot requested $489.8 million for upgrades to the Philadelphia-to-Harrisburg section of the “Keystone Corridor.” The funding – for track, signal, power, and catenary improvements, and the addition of a third express track between Atglen and Paoli – would allow trains to reach speeds of 125 m.p.h., up from the current 110.
The state asked for $401 million for restoring passenger rail service between Scranton and New York City, along the “Lackawanna Cutoff.”
The largest application was for $2.3 billion to design and build the first segment of a magnetic-levitation train line from the Pittsburgh airport to downtown.
The applications were submitted Friday, the governor’s office said yesterday.