Ruppersberger: Maryland Awarded $22 Million for Much-Needed High-Speed Rail Project

Press Release

Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) today announced that Maryland has been awarded $22 million in federal rail funding to replace the century-old Susquehanna River Bridge, which currently causes frequent delays for commuters. The funding is included in a $795 million federal grant package for the country's northeast corridor to increase the speed of travel from Washington to Boston. Congressman Ruppersberger lobbied the government to reprogram $2 billion in rail funding rejected by Florida to states that can use it -- like Maryland.

"This investment will give Maryland residents and commuters more options for train service and help make that service more reliable," said Congressman Ruppersberger, whose district includes the southern portion of the Susquehanna Bridge. "We must make rail convenient and dependable to get people out of their cars and on to mass transit to reduce our already-congested roadways."

This project and others like it around the country will put thousands of Americans to work and boost U.S. manufacturing. A strict "Buy America" requirement for high-speed rail projects ensures that U.S. manufacturers and workers will receive the maximum economic benefits from this federal investment.

The Baltimore metropolitan area ranks fifth in the nation in the average number of hours car commuters are delayed during peak periods, according to the Texas Transportation Institute's Urban Mobility Report released earlier this year. Washington, DC, tied for first.

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