PORTER, Ind. (AP) — Northwestern Indiana’s congested rail corridors are getting $71.3 million in federal dollars to help speed the flow of passenger and freight trains along the region’s rail lines.

The U.S. Department of Transportation funding for Indiana Gateway project will pay for critical upgrades along the Norfolk Southern Railroad’s Chicago Line and the Amtrak Michigan Line. The Indiana Department of Transportation will use the money for work that includes track relocations, high-speed crossovers and upgrading signal systems.

Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority President and CEO Bill Hanna says the upgrades planned under the Indiana Gateway project will speed travel times for freight and passenger trains and provide greater access to Chicago for both people and goods.

He says northwestern Indiana currently has some of the nation’s most congested rail corridors.