The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced Friday that it is making more than $139 million in safety and efficiency grants available to rural states.
According to the Notice of Funding Opportunity, the funding will help link states lacking intercity passenger rails service and will help improve the safety and efficiency of their rail infrastructure. Part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the funding is part of the Special Transportation Circumstances (STC) grant program. The program provides federal funding for projects designed to upgrade and safeguard rail infrastructure in Alaska, South Dakota and Wyoming.
“With this program, the DOT is continuing its commitment to supporting infrastructure investments in rural communities,” FRA Administrator Amit Bose said. “This funding will create jobs, grow local economies, and increase rail safety and efficiency in states where geography and other circumstances create unique needs.”
Funding for the STC program is set aside from appropriation for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements, the Restoration and Enhancement, Railroad Elimination, and Interstate Rail Compact programs. The funding in those communities is also expected to strengthen the supply chain by moving goods faster and less expensively.
Funding may cover up to 80 percent of the total project cost and will help create manufacturing and clean energy investments, as well as well-paying jobs that build a clean-energy economy, officials said.
Applications are due no later than Sept. 29, officials said.