The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has formally obligated $590 million in stimulus-act funds to the Washington DOT, clearing the way for projects to improve passenger rail infrastructure in that state.
The Feb. 26 announcement follows an agreement between the Federal Railroad Administration and Washington DOT regarding the release of the federal aid and a separate pact among Washington DOT, BNSF Railway, which owns the track, and Amtrak, which operates the trains, on a spending plan and rail service benchmarks.