The Corridor ID Program is a multi-year comprehensive intercity passenger rail planning and development program that will help guide intercity passenger rail development and create a pipeline of intercity passenger rail projects ready for implementation.

The City of Fort Wayne received a grant from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to conduct Step 1 of the Corridor ID program which sets the stage for a Service Development Plan.

Step 1: The development of a scope, schedule, and budget for a Service Development Plan.

Step 2: The development of a Service Development Plan. The SDP will advance the scope, schedule, and cost estimates for preliminarily engineering, environmental impact, and construction of a passenger rail line.

The Service Development Plan is a critical prerequisite to applying for capital funding for passenger rail improvements.

The Midwest Connect Passenger Rail Corridor includes Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus-Pittsburgh; connecting a population of 14.7 million and capitalizing on this central economic hub. The corridor is approximately 545 miles in length.

The Midwest Connect Corridor will offer an alternative mode of transportation that will provide equitable intercity and interregional connectivity, meet nationwide climate resiliency and sustainability goals, and grow the economic competitiveness of small, mid-sized, and large communities along the Corridor.