The award, secured through the Federal Railroad Administration’s 2025-26 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program, will support the Springfield Hub Modernization Project. Work is expected to include improvements to tracks, signals and other infrastructure, as well as measures to reduce conflicts between freight and passenger trains.

The project’s current phase centers on Springfield’s Union Station and service on the Connecticut River Line, including the Amtrak Vermonter, Hartford Line and Valley Flyer. The larger West-East Rail proposal would connect Albany, New York, Springfield and Boston by passenger train.

Healey called the grant a step toward better connections to jobs, housing and economic opportunity, while state and federal officials have also promoted the project as a way to ease road congestion. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno said reliable rail connections would be important for economic and housing development.

Western Massachusetts currently has limited service between Albany and Boston: one Amtrak train per day, with the trip taking more than five hours. The grant is intended to build capacity for future passenger service, though it does not itself establish a new schedule or completion date for West-East Rail.

The funding follows a separate $108 million federal award for the Inland Route, which would connect Boston, Springfield and New Haven, Connecticut. State leaders say two daily Amtrak trips on that route are planned to begin in 2030. The full West-East Rail proposal is projected to be completed by 2045.

Officials have also backed rail upgrades in Pittsfield, including permanent seasonal service for the Berkshire Flyer and expanded passenger service in western Massachusetts.