Capital Assistance to States - Intercity Passenger Rail Service

 

To provide financial assistance to fund capital improvements (and related planning activities) necessary to support improved or new intercity passenger rail service.

Active 20.317 Federal Railroad Administration, Department of Transportation B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2016 FRA requests $2.45 billion across multiple program areas related to capital assistance to states, including $550 million focused on the Northeast Corridor, including ongoing equipment overhaul needs, addressing the backlog of state of good repair capital needs, and replacing legacy equipment; $225 million to state corridors to support phase-in of fixed asset capital charges to states under PRIIA 209, $850 million to support long-distance route capital with equipment overhauls, replacement, stations, maintenance facilities and route operations; $475 National Assets, Legacy Debt and Amtrak PTC, including operating and capital needs for national reservations systems, security and policing, training centers, other national systems, legacy debt service and principal and PTC capital on Amtrak routes; and $350 million on upgrading Amtrak-served stations to become ADA compliant. Capital Assistance to States projects completed in FY 2016 include the construction of new track, bridges and signal improvements that will enable more efficient operations of freight and passenger services.
Fiscal Year 2017 The completion of Environmental Impact Statements and Service Development Plans in FY 2017 will further development of high-speed passenger rail service in heavily traveled corridors in the nation’s fast growing regions.
Fiscal Year 2018 One project to advance intercity passenger rail service was completed in FY 2018.
Fiscal Year 2019 One project to advance intercity passenger rail service was completed in FY 2019.
Fiscal Year 2020 All projects were completed prior to FY 2020.
Fiscal Year 2021 FRA does not anticipate any further funding appropriations or grant obligations under this Assistance Listing Number. FRA anticipates closing all grants under the program by 2023.
Fiscal Year 2022 FRA does not anticipate any further funding appropriations or grant obligations under this Assistance Listing Number.
Fiscal Year 2023 FRA does not anticipate any further funding appropriations or grant obligations under this Assistance Listing Number.
Fiscal Year 2024 FRA does not anticipate any further funding appropriations or grant obligations under this Assistance Listing Number. The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA), Public Law 110-161
FY 2009 Capital Assistance to States – Intercity Passenger Rail Service program, authorized and funded under the Department of Transportation Appropriations Act, 2009 (Title I of Division I of Pub. L. 111-8, March 11, 2009); and FY 2008 Capital Assistance to States – Intercity Passenger Rail Service program, authorized and funded under the Department of Transportation Appropriations Act, 2008 (Title I of Division K of Pub. L. 110-161, December 26, 2007). To be eligible for this assistance, States must include intercity passenger rail service as an integral part of statewide transportation planning as required under section 135 of title 23, United States Code. To be eligible for capital assistance, the specific project must be on the Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan at the time of the application to qualify. To be eligible for this assistance, States must include intercity passenger rail service as an integral part of statewide transportation planning as required under section 135 of title 23, United States Code. To be eligible for capital assistance, the specific project must be on the Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan at the time of the application to qualify. State departments of transportation and other public agencies, although private transportation companies may participate through contractual arrangements with a State department of transportation. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Assurances and Certification forms including: (1) Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters Primary Covered Transactions; (2) Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion Lower Tier Covered Transactions; (3) Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace Requirements; (4) Certification Regarding Lobbying, (5) Assurances Non- Construction Programs - SF 424B; and (6) Certificate of Indirect Costs Assurances. Other documents may be required as pre-requisites to funding based on program type. Documentation demonstrating applicant eligibility (for applicants other than States); National Environmental Policy Act documentation for construction projects and service development programs; program-specific Assurances and Certifications; planning and engineering documentation. Also see Application Procedure. Preapplication coordination is required. An environmental impact statement is required for this listing. An environmental impact assessment is required for this listing. Prospective applicants may contact FRA prior to submission of applications to inquire about applicant eligibility, the competitive prospects of their proposed project, the National Environmental Policy Act and related legal requirements, and other requirements. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Required documents for an application package are: Project Narrative, - Application for Federal Assistance, SF 424C - Budget Information for Construction, or SF 424A - Budget Information for Non-Construction, SF 424D - Assurances for Construction, or SF 424B - Assurances for Non-Construction, FRA's Additional Assurances and Certifications, SF LLL - Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, and other supporting documentation as specified in the notice of funding opportunity.. Review the application package to ensure that all required documents are complete and signed by the appropriate person. Review the statement of work (SOW) and budget to ensure the appropriation language requirements are met. Review SOW for technical issues and budget for appropriate costs, including compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and related laws and orders. Compare applications to determine relative satisfaction of published selection criteria. Select the applicants that are most qualified. After the application package is acceptable to both parties, a grant agreement is drafted, reviewed, and signed upon agreement by both parties. Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines FRA is committed to responding to applicants in a reasonable and timely manner. Response times will vary based on size, scope, complexity and volume of applications. Not applicable. Not applicable. Once an application is received, it will proceed through a three-step process. ???Screening for completeness and eligibility (both applicant and project eligibility); ??Evaluation panel review process, applying evaluation criteria; and ???Final review and selection, applying selection criteria. All selection criteria will be specified in Federal Register notices announcing the availability of funding pursuant to this program, and shall include, but shall not be limited to, prioritizing criteria defined in relevant law, and criteria intended to ensure the timely completion of funding projects and the full realization of the benefits the projects are intended to generate. Assistance can be used to develop projects, programs and planning. This includes Projects which will result in the creation of new or substantially improved High-Speed Rail/Intercity Passenger Rail service, and will provide tangible and measurable benefits, such as on-time performance improvements, travel-time reductions and higher service frequencies resulting in increased ridership. Final Design, the last phase of project development, includes right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation, the preparation of final design plans, construction management plans, system safety plans for construction management and operations, safety certification, any required collision hazard analysis, final construction cost estimates and detail specifications, as well as procurement of construction services and equipment. Performance Reports: Grant recipients will be monitored periodically by FRA to ensure that the project goals, objectives, performance requirements, timelines, milestones, budgets, and other related program criteria are being met. Monitoring may include on-site visits or detailed, interactive desk reviews. In addition, grantees are provided with intensive technical assistance from grants staff on a daily basis. No additional requirements. During the course of its activities under a grant agreement and for three years thereafter, the applicant must agree to retain intact and to provide any data, documents, reports, records, contracts, and supporting materials relating to its performance under the agreement as FRA may require. Reporting and record-keeping requirements are set forth in 2 C.F.R. Part 200 for private non-profit and for-profit Grantees. Closeout does not alter these requirements. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is . 50%. No more than 10 percent of funds made available under this program may be used for planning activities that lead directly to the development of a passenger rail corridor investment plan.

This program has MOE requirements, see funding agency for further details. Additional Information: No restriction on period of time the assistance normally is available. Assistance is awarded upon request for reimbursement. Funding is obligated through cooperative agreements, and outlays occur as reimbursement. Funding will only be obligated and disbursed as milestones are achieved. If necessary to contact a regional office, the contact information will be in a grant agreement. Matthew Lorah
Chief, Grant & Loan Program Development Division,
Office of Rail Program Development
1200 New Jersey Ave S.E.
Washington, DC 20590 USA
Matthew.Lorah@dot.gov
Phone: 2025791074 https://railroads.dot.gov/ 69-0715-0-1-401 (Project Grants (Cooperative Agreements)) FY 22$0.00; FY 23 est $0.00; FY 24 est $0.00; FY 21$0.00; FY 20$0.00; FY 19$0.00; FY 18$0.00; FY 17$80,875.00; FY 16$7,189,643.00; - No awards were made in FY 2022/2023 or anticipated in the future. No awards were made in FY 2022/2023 or anticipated in the future. Guidance for this program is provided by The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and related laws, the FRA publication entitled, Railroad Corridor Transportation Plans: A Guidance Manual (available at www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/2751), and Federal Register notices announcing the availability of funding pursuant to this program. Fiscal Year 2016 An example of a project that was completed in FY 2016 involved the design and construction of a new railroad bridge and 1.3 miles of new passenger-only track between two existing rail lines, streamlining passenger rail access to the Detroit area.
Fiscal Year 2017 An example of the project that will be completed in FY 2017 involves planning assistance intended to advance intercity passenger rail service from a conceptual phase through completion of an initial environmental analysis of the alternatives, preliminary corridor selection, and initial engineering design.
Fiscal Year 2018 An example of a project completed in FY 2018 is planning assistance intended to advance intercity passenger rail service from a conceptual phase through completion of an initial environmental analysis of the alternatives, preliminary corridor selection, and initial engineering design.
Fiscal Year 2019 An example of a project completed in FY 2019 is planning assistance intended to advance intercity passenger rail service from a conceptual phase through completion of an initial environmental analysis of the alternatives, preliminary corridor selection, and initial engineering design.
Fiscal Year 2020 All projects except one that FRA has funded under this program are complete and the grants closed. For the one remaining project, the awardee declined the funds. All of the other projects were completed prior to 2018.
Fiscal Year 2021 No new projects were funded in FY 2021. The last obligation under the program occurred in FY 2016.
Fiscal Year 2022 No new projects were funded in FY 2022. The last obligation under the program occurred in FY 2011.
Fiscal Year 2023 No new projects will be funded in FY 2023. The last obligation under the program occurred in FY 2011.
Fiscal Year 2024 No new projects will be funded in FY 2024. The last obligation under the program occurred in FY 2011.