Millions of additional dollars in federal grant money are headed toward rehabilitating track for Amtrak’s Southwest Chief, giving the route that passes through southeast Colorado as its advocates try to bolster the train line’s uncertain future.
The money, $16 million from a Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant, means about three-quarters of the money needed for track upgrades for the Chicago-to-Los Angeles route have been secured.
It’s a sigh of relief for the Southwest Chief’s main proponents, who were fearful about the prospect of securing federal dollars under a White House that has signaled a distaste for long-distance rail.
U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner announced the new funds Tuesday, calling it “great news for southern Colorado.”
“The Southwest Chief is an important means of transportation for Colorado rural communities and the surrounding region,” the Colorado Republican said in a written statement. “I was proud to fight for this grant at the federal level and am thrilled to deliver this news to southern Colorado.”
Great news for southern Colorado — the Southwest Chief Amtrak line will receive a $16 million grant from the . I was proud to fight for this grant at the federal level and am thrilled to deliver this news to southern Colorado.
— Cory Gardner (@SenCoryGardner)
Backers of the Southwest Chief were unsure about their ability to secure the TIGER money this year after failing to nail down similar funding last year.
The Trump administration has also sent a strong message about its stance toward Amtrak’s long-distance rail routes — like the Chief’s — by trying to slash the budget for the lines.
“This is the first TIGER application where we received our full amount, our full request,” said Pueblo County Commissioner Sal Pace, one of the Southwest Chief’s main backers.
The Southwest Chief’s existence was in peril several years ago, with miles and miles of track repairs needed to keep the historic route rumbling through the small communities it serves in Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico. Those towns banded together to come up with the funds to ensure the route’s continued existence, at least for the near future.
The new money will mean track repairs through Kansas and Colorado will be completed, leaving fixes in New Mexico as the last hurdle.
Pace has also been working to add a Pueblo extension for the train line, along with his efforts to bring passenger rail service to the Front Range.
“These are complementary efforts,” he said.