In an article by Crain’s Detroit Business, she explained, CRG is in talks with the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration regarding a USD 190M Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing loan to contribute to the capital costs.
Prior to securing that particular piece of federal funding, the Canadian federal environmental approval and all other permits must be in hand, which is an on-going process, Byington Potter said.
At this point, the project isn’t seeking any other Canadian and U.S. grants to offset the borrowing, she said.
Finally, with the funding in place, the project must get approval to proceed under the Canadian International Bridges and Tunnels Act and it must get a U.S. Presidential Permit from the State Department. Construction is estimated to take two years. She said she expects a new project timeline at the start of 2016.
Plans for the CRG rail project call for a 2,845m-long tunnel below the Detroit River connecting Detroit and Windsor Ontario. The new tunnel will replace and be built adjacent to the existing Detroit-Windsor rail tunnel, which has been in operation for more than 100 years.
