The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will be making available $343 million in Fiscal Year 2024 All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) funds to states to finance capital projects that make legacy public transportation systems more accessible, including for wheelchair users.
The program supports upgrades to commuter rail, light rail and subway systems that meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.
Hundreds of legacy stations, transit stations built before 1990, are not accessible to people with disabilities.
“Transit is the great equalizer, but for too many people in some of our nation’s largest cities, that equalizer is unavailable to them,” FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez said. “Now, more than 30 years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is leveling the playing field by ensuring greater access for those who rely on mass transit.”
During fiscal year 2022 and 2023 funding, the FTA awarded $686 million to ASAP projects. Examples include:
- The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority received $254 million to make four subway stations fully accessible.
- The Chicago Transit Authority received more than $118 million to modernize three more than 50-year-old stations.
- The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority received $56 million to modernize its more than 100-year-old stations.
The application deadline is Jan. 30.
The ASAP program will receive $1.75 billion through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law through fiscal year 2026.