The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has awarded $291 million in federal grants to help finance 11 major projects that aim to upgrade passenger-rail infrastructure around the country.

The project selections, which DOT and its Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced on Oct. 28, are located in nine states and include bridge replacements, station improvements and signaling upgrades. The winners were selected from among 16 applicants, an FRA spokesman says.