Apply Now: DOT accepting applications for $311 million in grant funds to improve intercity passenger and freight rail systems

Key Takeaways

On April 20, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for over $311 million in FY 2020 grant funds for projects that improve the safety, efficiency and/or reliability of intercity passenger and freight rail systems. Funds will be dispersed through the FRA’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program. The deadline to apply is Friday, June 19, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. ET.

Of the $325 million appropriated for CRISI in FY 2020, $311.8 million has been made available by the FRA for awards; however, should additional funds become available, the FRA may decide to make additional CRISI grants up to the FY 2020 appropriation level. The full $325 million is divided in the following ways: at least 25 percent, or $81.25 million, is reserved for rural projects; $45 million is available for certain capital projects, such as acquiring rights-of-way, track or track structure projects, that will facilitate the construction of new intercity passenger rail service routes; $9.97 million is set aside for Special Transportation Circumstances (STC) awards; and $3.25 million is set aside for FRA administrative costs related to program award and oversight. FRA will issue a separate NOFO for the nearly $10 million STC set-aside for eligible states who, as defined in 49 U.S.C. 22987, have no intercity passenger rail service, lack critical interrail system connectivity or those who would otherwise be ineligible for CRISI funds because of unique geographic characteristics or circumstances.

The majority of our nation’s rail miles flow through rural America, making CRISI’s 25 percent rural funding requirement critical for the 70 percent of America’s counties who are rural and potentially facing obstacles to connectedness. These rural transportation networks play a significant role in our national economy; however, they often face serious challenges that urban systems do not, including grave safety risks. Fatalities occur at a 39 percent higher rate at rural highway-rail grade crossings when compared to those in urban settings, with 80 percent of crossings in rural areas lacking proper signage or warning systems. DOT, within the CRISI FY 2020 NOFO, expressed a commitment to improving the crumbling rail infrastructure and disproportionately high rail-related fatality rates too often found in our rural communities.

The CRISI program is authorized under the current surface transportation law, P.L. 114-94, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, and funded by P.L. 116-93, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020. These grants, funded at an 80 percent federal share and 20 percent local match, are expected to leverage private, state and local investments to deliver a wide range of rail projects. Priority will be given to projects that require 50 percent or less federal funding.

Counties play a critical role in the nation’s surface transportation system, owning 45 percent of all public roads – compared to the 32 percent of public roads owned by cities and townships, 19 percent by states and 3 percent by the federal government – and 38 percent of the National Bridge Inventory. Counties also directly support 78 percent of the nation’s transit systems, 34 percent of public airports and the countless communities through which thousands of passenger and freight rail miles flow and play a critical role in keeping keep our residents, businesses and economies connected.