Purpose
Congress authorized Section 9002 of SAFETEA-LU at $350 million per year for each of the fiscal years (FY) 2006 through 2009 for the purpose of funding a grant program to provide financial assistance for local rail line relocation and improvement projects. However, Congress did not appropriate any funding for this program until FY 2008. On January 17, 2007, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) published a proposed rule
and accepted public comment on proposed implementing regulations for how the grant program would be administered. A final rule
was published on July 11, 2008.
Eligibility
Under this program, a State (or political subdivision of a State, such as a city or county, or the District of Columbia) is eligible for a grant from FRA for any construction project that improves the route or structure of a rail line and 1) involves a lateral or vertical relocation of any portion of the rail line, or 2) is carried out for the purpose of mitigating the adverse effects of rail traffic on safety, motor vehicle traffic flow, community quality of life, or economic development.
Funding
For FY 2008, Congress appropriated $20,040,000 in Federal funds for the Rail Line Relocation and Improvement program, with $5,250,000 directed to nine (9) non-competitive projects
.
FRA issued a Notice of Funding Availability and Notification of Applications for the Program for Capital Grants for Rail Line Relocation and Improvement Projects
to invite applications for a competitive selection process for the remaining program funds. State or other eligible entities are required to pay at least 10 percent of the cost of the project. The State or FRA may also seek financial contributions from private entities benefiting from the rail line relocation or improvement project. Applications were received and evaluated. FRA selected seven projects to be funded.
For FY 2010, Congress appropriated $34,532,000 in Federal funds for the Rail Line Relocation and Improvement program, with $24,519,200 directed to twenty-seven(27) non-competitive projects
. The remaining $10,012,800 will be combined with the $589,700 remaining from the FY 2008 competition, $2,000,000 that was not awarded to one of the projects selected from the 2008 competition, and the $7,900,000 in FY 2009 discretionary funding. This $20,502,500 will be the subject of a competition that FRA expects will occur in early 2010. As with the previous round, FRA will announce the opening of the competition as well as the application requirements in a Notice of Funding Availability published in the Federal Register. Potential applicants are advised to check this page periodically for updates and to watch the Federal Register for the Notice.
Program Contact Information
