{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hollen-cardin-mfume-moore-announce-more-than-20-million-to-advance-critical-maryland-rail-projects", "Van Hollen, Cardin, Mfume, Moore Announce More Than $20 Million to Advance Critical Maryland Rail Projects", "2023-10-02", "2023", "2023-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "MD", "Chris Van Hollen", "V000128", "www.vanhollen.senate.gov", "vanhollen", "https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman Kweisi Mfume and Governor Wes Moore (all D-Md.) announced $20,384,317 in U.S. Department of Transportation funding for rail infrastructure projects in Maryland to strengthen the Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) network with a Penn-Camden lines connection and to replace diesel-electric locomotives with clean, battery-electric locomotives at the Port of Baltimore.\n\n\u201cOur commuter rail system is essential to getting Marylanders from place to place, and to keeping our economy moving. These federal funds will upgrade rail service and increase efficiency in transit from Baltimore to Washington, D.C., opening more doors of opportunity across the region. It\u2019s a win-win-win: for strengthening our economy; for improving mobility in our area; and for reducing pollution. Projects like these are exactly why we fought to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,\u201d said Senator Van Hollen.\n\n\u201cBaltimore history is rooted in rail -- it\u2019s who we are and who we always want to be. With the help of these awards, we are ushering in a new era of rail service by investing in the latest green technology, while strengthening the rail network that is a critical asset for our state,\u201d said Senator Cardin. \u201cExpanded capacity, greater efficiency, less carbon pollution and a bright future for Penn and Union Station are what these federal dollars will deliver, transforming the way we move people and goods in Maryland.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Port and MARC train network are invaluable global and regional transportation assets. I am proud of the work we are doing in Congress to ensure these assets are properly sustained for years to come,\u201d said Congressman Mfume.\n\n\u201cThis critical funding will help us improve MARC reliability and deliver cleaner air for communities near the Port of Baltimore,\u201d said Governor Moore. \u201cWe are grateful for the unwavering support and partnership from the Biden Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation and our Congressional delegation in helping us deliver a transportation system that serves all Marylanders and will help expand our economy in a cleaner, more equitable way.\u201d\n\nThe federal dollars were awarded through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program, which supports both freight and passenger rail projects. The lawmakers fought to increase funding for this program within the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, making available more than $1.4 billion in CRISI funds nationwide this year. The program\u2019s latest round of grant awards include the following two projects in Maryland:\n\nPort of Baltimore, $11,584,317: To replace three older, non-regulated emission diesel-electric switching locomotives with three new battery electric locomotives and install one battery charger, establishing the first ever zero-exhaust emissions locomotives at an east coast port. CSX, one of the Class I railroads serving the Port is contributing a 50 percent project match.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hollen-cardin-mfume-moore-announce-more-than-20-million-to-advance-critical-maryland-rail-projects"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8480178657919168, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}