Miami awarded US$22m rail freight grant

Awarded under the federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery Discretionary program (TIGER II), the grant, one of nearly 1,000 applications submitted throughout the USA, is part of the national economic stimulus programme.

“This is tremendous news,” said director, Bill Johnson. “The award is one of only a handful of successful applications nationwide. The federal investment recognises the Port of Miami’s expanding role in international trade and the potential for greatly increasing our cargo business in coming years.”

Johnson said the rail project is one of three major infrastructure projects critical to the port’s future success, adding “The Biscayne Bay tunnel project is already underway. Now, the restoration of rail service to our port is officially a go”.