# Corridor Identification and Development Program

The Corridor Identification and Development Program, abbreviated as the Corridor ID Program, is a comprehensive planning program for inter-city passenger rail projects in the United States administered by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) under the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Each route accepted into the program is granted $500,000 toward planning activities and is prioritized for future federal funding.
As of December 2023, a total of 69 passenger rail corridors have been accepted into the Corridor ID Program. Of these, 7 are new high-speed rail routes, 34 are new conventional rail routes, 13 are existing routes with proposed extensions, and 15 are existing routes with proposed upgrades. For example, accepted projects include Brightline West high-speed rail, the Northern Lights Express from Minneapolis to Duluth, the Heartland Flyer extension from Oklahoma City to Newton, and frequency increases for the Cardinal and Sunset Limited.

## History

The $1.8 billion Corridor ID Program was authorized by Congress with the passage of the IIJA in November 2021 and was formally established in May 2022. The FRA began soliciting its first round of applications in December 2022 and made its first selection of 69 corridors in December 2023.

## Program

The purpose of the Corridor ID Program is to identify potential passenger rail expansion projects and to provide seed funding for planning stages. Construction and operational funding are not included. Eligible entities are invited to submit projects for consideration. Such entities include Amtrak, regional rail authorities, states, groups of state, state subdivisions, regional planning organizations, and federally recognized tribes. Once selected, each corridor is initially granted $500,000 toward project planning activities. Projects proceed through three steps:
* Step 1: Determination of the scope, schedule, and cost estimate for preparing a Service Development Plan
* Step 2: Preparation of the Service Development Plan. This plan must list details including train frequencies, peak and average operating speeds, trip times, station locations, capital projects, rolling stock needs, economic impacts, environmental benefits, and the project schedule. These grants require a 10% match from entities.
* Step 3: Project development work readying the Service Development Plan for implementation, such as environmental impact statements and engineering design. Step 3 awardees must input a 20% match.

## List of corridors

This list is current as of December 2023. A total of 69 passenger rail corridors spanning 44 states have been accepted into the Corridor ID Program.

### Legend

    HSR New high-speed rail
    New New conventional rail
    Extension Existing route with extension, might include upgrades
    Upgrade Existing route with upgrades, no extension
| Corridor | Route | Sponsor | Type | Step |
| Amtrak Texas High-Speed Rail Corridor | Dallas–Houston | Amtrak | HSR | 3 | 1 |
| Brightline West High-Speed Corridor | Rancho Cucamonga–Las Vegas | Nevada Department of Transportation | HSR | | 1 |
| California High-Speed Rail Phase 1 Corridor | San Francisco–Los Angeles/Anaheim | California High-Speed Rail Authority | HSR | | 1 |
| Cascadia High-Speed Ground Transportation | Vancouver–Portland | Washington State Department of Transportation | HSR | 2 | 1 |
| Charlotte, North Carolina, to Atlanta, Georgia, Corridor | Charlotte–Atlanta | North Carolina Department of Transportation | HSR | | 1 |
| Fort Worth to Houston High-Speed Rail Corridor | Fort Worth–Houston | North Central Texas Council of Governments | HSR | | 1 |
| High Desert Corridor | Victor Valley–Palmdale | Antelope Valley Transit Authority | HSR | | 1 |
| Asheville to Salisbury, North Carolina, Corridor | Asheville–Salisbury | North Carolina Department of Transportation | New | | 1 |
| Atlanta to Savannah Corridor | Atlanta–Savannah | Georgia Department of Transportation | New | 2 |
| Atlanta-Chattanooga-Nashville-Memphis Corridor | Atlanta–Memphis | City of Chattanooga | New | 1 |
| Baton Rouge-New Orleans Corridor | Baton Rouge–New Orleans | Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development | New | 1 |
| Boston and Albany Corridor | Boston–Albany | Massachusetts Department of Transportation | New | 1 |
| Central Coast Corridor | San Jose–San Luis Obispo | California Department of Transportation | New | 1 |
| Charlotte to Kings Mountain, North Carolina, Corridor | Charlotte–Kings Mountain | North Carolina Department of Transportation | New | 1 |
| Chicago to Quad Cities Service Extension Program | Chicago–Moline | Illinois Department of Transportation | New | 1 |
| Chicago, Fort Wayne, Columbus, and Pittsburgh | Chicago–Pittsburgh | City of Fort Wayne | New | 1 |
| Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati (3C&D) Corridor | Cleveland–Cincinnati | Ohio Rail Development Commission | New | 1 |
| Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit Corridor | Cleveland–Detroit | Ohio Rail Development Commission | New | 1 |
| Coachella Valley Rail Corridor | Los Angeles–Coachella | California Department of Transportation | New | 1 |
| Colorado Front Range Corridor | Fort Collins–Pueblo | Front Range Passenger Rail District | New | 2 |
| Commonwealth Corridor | Newport News–New River Valley | Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation | New | 1 |
| Diamond State Line | Newark/Wilmington–Salisbury/Berlin | Delaware Transit Corporation | New | 1 |
| Eau Claire-Twin Cities Corridor | St. Paul–Eau Claire | Eau Claire County, Wisconsin | New | 1 |
| Fayetteville to Raleigh, North Carolina, Corridor | Fayetteville–Raleigh | North Carolina Department of Transportation | New | 1 |
| Gulf Coast Passenger Rail Service | New Orleans–Mobile | Southern Rail Commission | New | 1 |
| Houston to San Antonio Corridor | Houston–San Antonio | Texas Department of Transportation | New | 1 |
| I-20 Corridor Intercity Passenger Rail Service | Dallas–Meridian | Southern Rail Commission | New | 1 |
| Jacksonville-Orlando-Miami Corridor | Jacksonville–Miami | Florida Department of Transportation | New | 1 |
| Louisville-Indianapolis Passenger Rail Corridor | Indianapolis–Louisville | Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency | New | 1 |
| Miami-Orlando-Tampa Corridor | Miami–Tampa | Florida Department of Transportation | New | 1 |
| Milwaukee-Madison-Eau Claire-Twin Cities Corridor | Milwaukee–Minneapolis | Wisconsin Department of Transportation | New | 1 |
| North Coast Hiawatha | Chicago–Seattle/Portland | Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority | New | 1 |
| Northern Lights Express | Minneapolis–Duluth | Minnesota Department of Transportation | New | 1 |
| Peoria to Chicago Passenger Rail Service | Peoria–Chicago | City of Peoria | New | 1 |
| Phoenix-Tucson Corridor | Buckeye–Tucson | Arizona Department of Transportation | New | 1 |
| Reading-Philadelphia-New York Corridor | Reading–New York City | Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority | New | 1 |
| Scranton to New York Penn Station Corridor | Scranton–New York City | Pennsylvania Department of Transportation | New | 1 | 2 |
| Texas Triangle: Dallas-Fort Worth-Houston Intercity Passenger Rail Corridor | Fort Worth–Houston | Texas Department of Transportation | New | 1 |
| TCMC Service Expansion via La Crosse | Chicago–St. Paul | Wisconsin Department of Transportation | New | 1 |
| Wilmington to Raleigh, North Carolina, Corridor | Wilmington–Raleigh | North Carolina Department of Transportation | New | 1 |
| Winston-Salem to Raleigh, North Carolina, Corridor | Winston-Salem–Raleigh | North Carolina Department of Transportation | New | 1 |
| Amtrak to Long Island | Washington–New York City–Ronkonkoma | Amtrak | Extension | 1 |
| Capitol Corridor | Extensions to San Francisco, Salinas, Novato, Sparks | California Department of Transportation | Extension | 1 |
| Downeaster Corridor | Boston–Brunswick–Rockland | Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority | Extension | 1 | 2 |
| Green Mountain Corridor | New York City–Bennington–Burlington | Vermont Agency of Transportation | Extension | 1 |
| Hannibal Extension of Existing Chicago-Quincy Corridor | Chicago–Quincy–Hannibal | Missouri Department of Transportation | Extension | 1 |
| Heartland Flyer Extension | Fort Worth–Oklahoma City–Newton | Kansas Department of Transportation | Extension | 1 |
| Kansas City, MO, to St Joseph, MO | St. Louis–Kansas City–St. Joseph | Missouri Department of Transportation | Extension | 1 |
| Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor | San Luis Obispo–San Diego–San Ysidro | California Department of Transportation | Extension | 1 |
| Milwaukee to Green Bay (Hiawatha Extension) | Chicago–Milwaukee–Green Bay | Wisconsin Department of Transportation | Extension | 1 |
| San Joaquin Valley Corridor | Merced/Oakland–Sacramento–Redding | California Department of Transportation | Extension | 1 |
| Vermonter Corridor | Washington–St. Albans–Montreal | Vermont Agency of Transportation | Extension | 1 |
| Washington, D.C., to Bristol, VA, Corridor | Washington–Roanoke–Bristol | Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation | Extension | 1 |
| Wolverine Corridor | Chicago–Detroit–Windsor | Michigan Department of Transportation | Extension | 1 |
| Adirondack Corridor | New York City–Montreal | New York State Department of Transportation | Upgrade | 1 |
| Amtrak Cascades Corridor | Eugene–Vancouver | Washington State Department of Transportation | Upgrade | 1 |
| Anchorage North & South Corridor | Fairbanks–Seward | Alaska Railroad Corporation | Upgrade | 1 |
| Charlotte, North Carolina, to Washington, D.C., Corridor | Charlotte–Washington | North Carolina Department of Transportation | Upgrade | 1 |
| Chicago to Carbondale Corridor | Chicago–Carbondale | Illinois Department of Transportation | Upgrade | 1 |
| Chicago to Grand Rapids Corridor | Chicago–Grand Rapids | Michigan Department of Transportation | Upgrade | 1 |
| Chicago to Port Huron Corridor | Chicago–Port Huron | Michigan Department of Transportation | Upgrade | 1 |
| Chicago to St. Louis Higher-Speed Rail Corridor | Chicago–St. Louis | Illinois Department of Transportation | Upgrade | 1 |
| Daily Cardinal Service | New York City–Chicago | Amtrak | Upgrade | 1 |
| Daily Sunset Limited Service | New Orleans–Los Angeles | Amtrak | Upgrade | 1 |
| Empire Corridor | New York City–Niagara Falls | New York State Department of Transportation | Upgrade | 1 |
| Hartford Line Corridor | New Haven–Springfield | Connecticut Department of Transportation | Upgrade | 1 |
| Indianapolis-Chicago Corridor | Indianapolis–Chicago | Indiana Department of Transportation | Upgrade | 1 |
| Keystone Corridor: Pittsburgh to Philadelphia | Philadelphia–Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania Department of Transportation | Upgrade | 1 |
| Milwaukee to Chicago Hiawatha Expansion | Milwaukee–Chicago | Wisconsin Department of Transportation | Upgrade | 1 |