By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. passenger railroad Amtrak said Monday it has applied for $8 billion in government grants to modernize bridges, tunnels and other aging infrastructure along the busy Washington to Boston corridor, expanding service and building a new station in Arlington, Virginia.

Congress approved $66 billion for rail as part of the 2021 massive infrastructure bill, with Amtrak receiving $22 billion. The bill also sets aside $36 billion for competitive grants, which Amtrak is looking to tap to help fund replacement or rehabilitation of tunnels, bridges and other aging infrastructure along the Boston to Washington corridor.

Amtrak is seeking funding for $7.3 billion in Northeast Corridor projects including several in the Gateway Program such as the New York Penn Station Expansion, Sawtooth Bridges replacement and other projects. It wants to replace a 116-year-old bridge across the Connecticut River that would allow it to boost speeds by more than 25 mph.

Amtrak also wants $716 million to fund 16 projects nationwide to improve long distance train reliability, reduce travel times and expand service. Funds would be used to boost train service, increase train speeds and extend service from Mississippi through Louisiana to Texas and build a new station that would add service to Arlington, Virginia.

The Gateway Program a major project to overhaul much of the aging rail infrastructure in the New York City area.

One component, the $16.1 billion Hudson Tunnel Project, will repair an existing tunnel and build a new one for Amtrak and state commuter lines between New Jersey and Manhattan.

In April 2021, Amtrak asked Congress for $16 billion for the Gateway project, including $6.7 billion over five years for the Hudson Tunnel project.

On Tuesday, Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner will testify before a U.S. House of Representatives panel on rebounding rail traffic and the railroad’s expansion plans.

Amtrak wants to expand dramatically across the United States and add up to 39 corridor routes and up to 166 cities by 2035.

Aging infrastructure is preventing Amtrak from running trains at higher speeds along the Boston to Washington northeast corridor. The grant request seeks funds to boost speeds between Washington and New Jersey

In November, Amtrak said ridership jumped by more than 10 million riders in the year ending Sept. 30 and has nearly returned to pre-COVID-19 levels.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio)

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