WASHINGTON — Due to a deluge of applications for high speed rail funding, the Federal Railroad Administration Tuesday announced it would award grants for high speed rail development this winter. According to Federal Railroad Administrator Joe Szabo, the agency has received 45 applications from 24 states totaling approximately $50 billion to advance high speed rail corridor programs. It also received 214 applications from 34 states totaling $7 billion for corridor planning and smaller projects. The economic stimulus package approved earlier this year included $8 billion for high speed rail. “We have received numerous applications from states and groups of states for the development of high speed and intercity passenger rail programs for grant funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,” Szabo said in a news release. “Due to the overwhelming response and our desire to lay the groundwork for a truly national high speed and intercity passenger rail program, we will be announcing all awards this winter.”

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood told Congress last week that he would name the winners of the stimulus law’s $1.5 billion Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant program before the end of the year. The TIGER program includes built-in competition between modes of transportation, from railroads to ports and roads. Within the Obama administration, ten teams are evaluating the applications submitted for TIGER, which the U.S. Department of Transportation says total $57 billion. Several states have submitted proposals to fund rail projects under the TIGER program.