Downtown Springfield, a key stop on a proposed passenger train link from Boston to Western Massachusetts. iStock photo

A long-proposed project to link Boston and Springfield with frequent, regular passenger train service now has money for infrastructure improvements that can pave the way for a future East-West Rail passenger train line.

Gov. Maura Healey, top transportation officials, Amtrak and CSX executives and Congressmen Rich Neal (D-Springfield) and James McGovern (D-Worcester) gathered at Springfield’s Union Depot train station Friday morning to announce the state had landed $108 million from the federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant program. Healey’s office also announced the grant award in an email to reporters.

The money, plus $27 million in state funds, will go towards upgrading the rail corridor from Worcester to Springfield so it can handle trains going 80 mph – nearly double the current speed limit – Healey’s office said, and unspecified other infrastructure improvements that will reduce schedule conflicts between the freight trains and passenger trains. Much of the line only has one track for all traffic, instead of two tracks in each direction. Healey’s office characterized the planned construction projects as “a necessary first step” to adding more passenger trains to the line on top of the freight trains and one Amtrak cross-country train that use it each day. CSX owns much of the tracks.

“I am thrilled we were able to secure this critical funding for central and western Massachusetts, which will lay the foundation for West-East Rail,” Healey said in a statement. “From day one, we said our administration was going to compete for an unprecedented level of federal funding opportunities, and I’m proud to say we are delivering on that promise. We thank the Biden-Harris Administration for their continued historic investments in infrastructure and are grateful for the strong partnership of our federal delegation in promoting public transit and advancing priorities for economic competitiveness.”

In addition, the federal money will pay for two daily round-trip Amtrak trains from Boston to New York City via Worcester and Springfield, and Hartford and New Haven in Connecticut.

“Over the last ten years, the Commonwealth has witnessed a remarkable transformation in both freight and passenger rail, particularly with the redevelopment of Springfield’s Union Station,” Neal said in a statement released by Healey’s office. “It is fair to say that Springfield has reestablished itself as the crossroads of New England, and with today’s announcement, we are just one step closer to making East-West Rail a reality.  With much of the language in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law having been drafted in the Ways and Means Committee, I was in regular communication with the FRA to ensure my support for this application was known. The facts are simple: improving and expanding passenger rail service will have a tremendous impact on regional economies throughout the state. That is why Governor Healey has voiced her support for East-West Rail, and that is why we will continue to invest in a project whose framework has the potential to serve as a model for expanding passenger rail service across the country.”

Healey’s office said MassDOT is seeking more federal money to pay for the next steps in building an East-West Rail passenger service. Currently, the agency is waiting for two Federal Railroad Administration grants that will fund service plans it says are necessary to unlock future federal funding. Still, it’s not clear how long it will take for the newly-funded construction projects to be completed, and how much longer beyond that it will take for any future Boston-to-Springfield train service to start.