AASHTO Journal - FRA Offering Rail Crossing, Passenger Rail Funding

The Federal Railroad Administration recently issued two notices of funding opportunities or NOFOs making available over $1.1 billion in Railroad Crossing Elimination or RCE program grants and more than $153 million through its Restoration and Enhancement or R&E program, which supports passenger rail services.

[Above photo via the FRA]

The FRA said its RCE grant program is dedicated to improving railroad crossings’ safety and efficiency; investing in projects that construct grade separations, upgrade safety devices at crossings, or close at-grade crossings where roads and train tracks intersect.

The agency said RCE grant applicants will be evaluated based on factors such as whether they improve safety, increase community connectivity, enhance access to emergency services, improve the mobility of goods, strengthen supply chains, and reduce noise.

At least 20 percent of RCE Program funding (around $230 million for this round, FRA noted) will also be set aside for projects located in rural communities or on tribal lands, and around $38 million will be available to fund planning projects.

“Railroads play a vital role in our nation’s transportation network by moving people and goods in a sustainable and efficient way, and the funding announced today will help ensure that railroad operations are compatible with safety and mobility in the communities through which trains move,” said FRA Administrator Amit Bose in a statement.

Last year, FRA announced over 63 RCE Program grants for major projects, such as the construction of a sealed rail corridor in Houston, Texas, as well as overpasses, underpasses, and rail bridges in Pelham, Alabama; Hammond, Indiana; and Washougal, Washington.

FRA has also already made available billions more in grant funding this year through the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program and the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program, both of which will improve safety and efficiency on the nation’s rail network.

The second NOFO offers R&E grants to assist with operating costs for projects that establish service on new routes, restore service on routes that formerly had intercity passenger operations, and enhance service on existing routes.

The R&E Program covers an array of expenses up to the first six years of service for newly initiated, restored, or enhanced passenger rail operations while the services build their ridership and revenue base and bolster their long-term potential, FRA said.

Those expenses include operating costs, such as staffing costs for train crew members; station costs, such as ticket sales, customer information, and train dispatching services; train yard operations costs; routine planned maintenance costs of equipment and train cleaning costs; marketing costs; and administrative costs, among other expenses, noted FRA’s Bose in a separate statement.