FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Imagine being able to leave your home in Boca Raton and go to a Miami Heat game by train. Imagine leaving work in downtown Fort Lauderdale and having a dinner meeting on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach without getting into your car.

Those dreams are on the way to becoming a reality, thanks to a recent U.S. Department of Transportation $13.75 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant for the South Florida Freight and Passenger Rail Enhancement Project.

On Friday in Fort Lauderdale, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx joined four Members of Congress, Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), Ted Deutch (FL-21), Lois Frankel (FL-22) and Patrick Murphy (FL-18), and other local leaders to talk about how the project will help South Florida.

“These TIGER projects are the best argument you can make for investment in our transportation infrastructure,” said Secretary Foxx. "The South Florida Freight and Passenger Rail Enhancement project will better connect the area’s two major freight rail corridors, which will leave more capacity for the tens of millions of people traveling between South Florida’s cities and Orlando every year. Anything we can do to give people more transportation options is a plus."

“This project is a true partnership between the public and private sector, and I’m so thrilled Secreyary Foxx joined us in South Florida to talk about how this $13.75 million federal TIGER grant will help promote connectivity and create the opportunity to move people seamlessly between the downtowns in South Florida,” said. Rep. Wasserman Schultz. “This announcement is another example of the Obama Administration's commitment to an economy built to last, by creating jobs through investments in transportation and infrastructure.”

“South Florida’s entire economy will benefit from this multimillion dollar investment in our infrastructure, and I want to thank Secretary Foxx for championing public transportation as catalyst for growth,” said Rep. Deutch. “This project is going to create new jobs, connect more businesses, and cultivate more opportunity for the people of South Florida, and I am excited to see these dollars be put to work.”

“This is an important moment in a transformative period for South Florida transportation,” said Rep. Frankel, who serves on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and is a regular Tri-Rail rider. “Thanks to the help of the Obama administration we’re creating jobs, improving public transit for commuters and allowing businesses to ship their goods more efficiently. This project is a win for businesses, commuters and our local economy.”

“I’m a proud supporter of infrastructure projects that generate jobs and stimulate long-term economic growth just as this rail project will,” said Rep. Murphy. “This project will also allow commuters to move more easily through the Treasure Coast and Palm Beaches as the Tri-Rail is extended further north. Additionally, All Aboard Florida expands commuter access from Orlando through my district to Miami and more freight is moved by train, all of which will help to reduce traffic on already-congested highways throughout the region.”

This public-private partnership project will connect rail corridors in South Florida and make traveling more efficient among CSX, Florida East Coast Railway, Tri-Rail Commuter Rail, and the planned All-Aboard Florida Intercity Rail. Florida Department of Transportation has committed $30 million toward this project, with the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, FEC Railway, and CSX contributing toward the project as well. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s grant will help fill the funding gap to make this project possible.

Once complete, this project will allow for more efficient freight routing and more competitive commuter and intercity travel options for residents and visitors to South Florida.