A new funding opportunity that makes more than $153 million in grants available to cover operating costs associated with passenger rail services will be available soon.
The funding will be awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration’s Restoration and Enhancement Grant Program.
The 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.
These 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.
Eligible projects include those that establish service on new routes, restore service on routes that formerly had intercity passenger operations and enhance service on existing routes, the FRA said.
The notice of funding opportunity was filed in the Federal Register on Friday and is scheduled to publish Monday. Applications are due 75 days after the publication date.
“The quality of our intercity passenger rail services has a major impact not only on the experiences of millions of riders but also on the economic vitality of our communities as well as our efforts to combat climate change,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “Safer, more frequent, and more accessible passenger rail services — made possible with funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — will expand travel and commuting options, creating newly efficient and sustainable opportunities to get around the country.”
Photo by Michael Beener on Unsplash
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