Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced that he has placed $839 million worth of upgrades to Connecticut’s transportation system on the agenda for approval at the next meeting of the State Bond Commission.

The governor, who serves as chairman of the State Bond Commission and determines which projects get placed on the agenda, said that these upgrades are long overdue and compliment projects that are expected to be financed through the recently adopted federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Planned railroad related expenditures will include:

• Dual Power Locomotives: $280 million to procure dual-power locomotives to replace aging diesel locomotives. The new dual-power locomotives will enable electric train service where overhead wire is available and enable new express train service to New York City.
• Enfield Train Station: $35 million to build the new Enfield Train Station on the Hartford Line. As a demonstration of Governor Lamont and the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s commitment to advancing this project, these funds intend to serve as a state match for a federal grant application pending with the Federal Railroad Administration.
• Derby-Shelton Train Station: $12 million to renovate the Derby-Shelton Multimodal Station. These funds will serve as a match to the recently awarded $12.6 million RAISE federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

-via Press Release