Congresswoman McCollum Worked to Secure Critical Federal Dollars

Washington, DC - Today, Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04) applauded the federal Department of Transportation (DOT) for awarding a $40,000,000 grant to the construction and renovation of the Union Depot in downtown St. Paul. This announcement is a reflection of the commitment from President Obama and Democrats in Congress to save and create jobs while building a modern American economy.

"This major investment in Minnesota's Union Depot is another example of the strong federal commitment to creating jobs and building 21st century infrastructure in our community. Transforming the Union Depot into a multi-modal transportation hub will make St. Paul - and the entire state of Minnesota - more economically competitive. The fact that this $40 million grant comes from a new high-speed passenger rail program created by the Appropriations Committee is recognition that the Union Depot is Minnesota's link to the Midwest high-speed rail network."

Scheduled to reopen in September 2012, Union Depot will accelerate the revitalization of downtown St. Paul and establish a major transportation and transit hub for the Twin Cities and all of Minnesota. Union Depot will service Amtrak, local and interstate buses, and the Central Corridor light rail line. Later, the Depot will service commuter rail and high speed rail to Chicago.

In addition to transforming the downtown St. Paul area, Union Depot will generate 3,000 jobs between January 2011 and the end of 2012.

In February 2010, Union Depot also received a $35 million TIGER grant, which is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

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