Florida rail money redirected

The U.S. Department of Transportation reallocated $300 million of the $2.4 billion in high-speed rail funding rejected by Gov. Rick Scott for a wide number of railway projects across the nation — none nearly as ambitious what Florida officials had been considering.

The largest portion of the investment — $145 million — will go to the state of Washington to pay for “rail corridor improvements and new equipment” for an existing route connecting the U.S. to Vancouver. Another $60 million will go to Maryland for a “preliminary engineering and environmental analysis,” which will create a plan for replacing an existing Amtrak service route.

Connecticut received $40 million to add 10 miles of double rail to an existing line, and New Jersey received $38.5 million to replace a 100-year-old bridge, a DOT release shows. Other states receiving money were California ($22 million for the refurbishing of existing locomotives), Missouri ($3.8 million, mostly to fund studies), New York ($3.3 million to expand existing rail) and West Virginia ($1 million to create a state rail plan).

In the recently completed deal to keep the federal government operating, both parties agreed to cut $1.5 billion from the high-speed rail budget in 2011.