WISCONSIN (NBC 26) — Wisconsin will receive more than $140 million in federal rail funding to overhaul Amtrak locomotives serving Midwest passenger routes, including the Hiawatha line between Milwaukee and Chicago, federal transportation officials announced Friday.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said the $140.6 million award will help refurbish up to 41 Charger locomotives used on Amtrak’s Midwest and Pacific Northwest services, bringing them into a state of good repair.
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said the funding is part of a broader national rail investment program focused on safety improvements, infrastructure upgrades and passenger rail modernization.
Federal officials also said the Hiawatha service will receive new trainsets to increase capacity as ridership demand grows.
The funding comes through the Federal Railroad Administration’s National Railroad Partnership Program, which supports projects aimed at improving passenger rail safety, reducing repair backlogs and modernizing rail infrastructure nationwide.
