August 11, 2022

RAIL

MOVING AMERICA FORWARD

Sergio Coronado, Transportation Industry Analyst

Program and Policy Development Division

Best Practices – Project Narrative
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Upcoming Office Hours

• Every following Thursday at 2pm!

o August 18 - Project and applicant eligibility, 

project type, and lifecycle

o August 25 - Statement of work

o September 1 - National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) and environmental considerations

o September 8 - NOFO "nuts and bolts" 

(e.g. Grants.gov, SAM registration, and 

other required elements)
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Agenda

1. Overview of the competitive grant process

2. Components of the narrative

a) Cover Page to Environmental Readiness

3. Tools and resources

4. Questions
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FRA Competitive/Discretionary Grant Review Process 

• Is this project 

eligible?

• Is the applicant 

eligible?

• What are these 

project benefits? 

Does this improve 

safety, economic 

vitality, access to 

emergency 

services?

• Is the applicant 

capable of 

carrying out this 

project?

• Projects are 

selected based 

off their ability to 

meet selection 

and evaluation 

criteria.

• FRA press 

release 

announces 

selections 4 to 5 

months 

following due 

date.

INTAKE EVALUATION SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT
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Best Practices – Project Narrative

 Structure your project narrative 

in accordance with the outline 

specified in the NOFO

 Include all elements identified in 

the outline

 Follow the instructions for 

each element

 Adhere to 25-page limit

Project Narrative Outline

I. Cover Page

II. Project Summary

III. Project Funding

IV. Applicant Eligibility

V. Detailed Project Description

VI. Project Location

VII. Grade Crossing Information

VIII. Evaluation and Selection Criteria

IX. Safety Benefit

X. Project Implementation & Management

XI. Environmental Readiness
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Best Practices – Project Narrative

Use a table or create a list:

 Project Title

 Funding Requested

 Proposed Match

 Sources 

 In Kind?

 Other Federal Funding – only if it applies

 Total Project Cost

 Did you submit for a previous grant – tell us 

which program

 City/State Location

Cover Page

 Congressional District

 Planning Documents – State Rail Plan, State Action 

Plan 

 Rural or Tribal Location

 Funding Set-Aside (Planning, Safety Information, Rural 

Tribal Set-Aside

 Project located in Rural or Tribal Area with 20 or fewer 

residents 

 US DOT Crossing Numbers 

 Project located on real property owned by someone 

other than the applicant
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Best Practices – Project Narrative

Project Summary

 Briefly describe the project in 4 to 6 sentences

 Tell us what your project is, where it is, how much 

money you are requesting and why

 Don’t start off by confusing reviewers - Keep it simple

 Don’t frontload all your information

 Examples – FY21 CRISI Press Release

!
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Best Practices – Project Narrative

 TABLES are always welcome

 Only include eligible costs

 Specify each source of 

non-Federal match

 Supporting documentation

 Provide details about in-kind match

 Indicate public- vs. private-sector match

 Identify if the proposed match will not be available until a 

certain date or if funds must be spent by a deadline

 State Competitive Funding or other competitive 

federal sources

Project Funding

Task/Component Cost Percentage

Preliminary 

Engineering $XX 50%

NEPA $XX 50%

Total Cost $XXX 100%

Funding Source Amount Percentage

RCE Grant Request $XX 80%

Local Funding $XX 10%

State Funding $XX 5%

Railroad Co. 

Funding - Private $XX 5%

Total Match $XXX 100%
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Best Practices – Project Narrative

Applicant and Project Eligibility 

Look at the

NOFO

• Match Project to eligible 

project type

• Match Applicant to eligible 

applicant type

Make Your 

Case

• Describe how your project 

meets the criteria and how 

you meet the criteria

References • Supporting Documentation

• Citations and Hyperlinks
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Best Practices – Project Narrative

 Thoroughly discuss the transportation 

challenges and benefits

 Include data to support project benefits

 Describe how project components are 

related and will be sequenced

 Include photographs or diagrams

 Identify all host railroads, operators, and 

beneficiaries

Detailed Project Description

v. Project Description

Picture of Project

Location of Project 

Area

Simple description of challenges and 

proposed solution. Relevant history 

OF project.

• These XX grade crossings are 

dangerous, and we want to create 

an overpass

Summary of Qualitative and 

Quantitative benefits of this project.

• XXX fatalities will be prevented by 

this project

• How and Why

Summary of who benefits.

• Town residents

• Emergency Services

• Freight

Host Railroad – status of negotiations

• Draft negotiation document,

• Summary of ongoing conversations, 

demonstration of support

Don’t let this be the 

only time you talk ! about benefits
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Best Practices – Project Narrative

 Identify cities, counties, and states where project 

is located

 Congressional districts of project(s) location

 Include a map of the project

 Multiple if necessary

 Identify railroad mileposts

 Geospatial data – longitude and latitude 

Project Location

Identify cities, counties, and states where project 
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Best Practices – Project Narrative

 Cite specific DOT National Grade Crossing 

Inventory information, including:

 Railroad that owns infrastructure

 Primary railroad operator

 DOT crossing inventory number

 Roadway at the crossing

Grade Crossing Information
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Best Practices – Project Narrative

Evaluation and Selection Criteria

Project 

Benefits

Improves Safety at Highway-Rail or Pathway Rail Grade Crossing

Proposes to grade separate, eliminate, or close one or more Highway-Rail or PathwayRail Grade Crossings

Improves the mobility of both people and goods

Reduces emissions, protects the environment, and provides community benefit

Improves access to emergency services

Improves access to communities

Provides economic benefit

Uses contracting incentives to employ local labor, to the extent permissible under 

Federal law

Technical 

Merits

SOW tasks and subtasks outlined are appropriate

Demonstrates strong project readiness

Technical Qualifications and Experience of Personnel

Project is in the freight investment plan

Project will use innovative technologies, design or construction techniques or materials 

will reduce GHG emissions

Project has support from impacted Rail Carriers 

Project will improve the mobility modes of transportation, including entry and exit from 

freight facilities, pedestrians, bicycles, and public transportation

 Quantitative and Qualitative

 Relevant Benefits only –

don’t digress to other 

projects

 Address each component

 Address it again!

 Separate out each section –

don’t bunch

!
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Best Practices – Project Narrative

 Strongly encouraged to submit safety justifications for the 

project that rely on standardized, objective safety metrics 

and data

 Resources exist

 Address it again!

Safety Benefit
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Best Practices – Project Narrative

 Highlight applicant’s past experiences managing and 

overseeing similar projects, including FRA- or 

DOT-funded projects

 RAISE (TIGER, BUILD) or CRISI

 FTA or FHWA grants

 State Grants

 Management of Local Funding

 Describe expected arrangements for project 

contracting, contract oversight, change-order 

management, risk management, and conformance 

with Federal requirements for progress reporting

 Experience with Grade Crossings – GREAT!

Project Implementation and Management

Assume your 

reviewer has never ! heard of you!
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Best Practices – Project Narrative

 If NEPA is complete: Provide copy 

of NEPA document or link

 If NEPA is not started: Provide 

detailed project description and 

description of setting/land use, 

with visuals

 If NEPA is underway: Provide 

current status, expected 

completion date, and type of 

document

Environmental Readiness

 Provide as much known information about project 

description, project location, anticipated impacts, 

anticipated local/state/federal permits as possible 

 FRA reviewers will be determining environmental readiness 

based only on the information provided with the application

 Provide more environmental information than less

 Describe project planning done to date 

 Document any past or present environmental studies 

associated to your proposed project in the grant application, 

including: 

 Any previously approved FRA, FTA, or FHWA project 

related to the grant proposal 

!
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In summary... help your reviewer

• Keep it simple and straight forward

o More information is good....as long as it’s relevant

 Supporting Documentation – submission vs. hyperlink

o Repetition is key – don’t sell yourself short

o No detective work

o benefits, costs, scope, project stage

o Qualitative and Quantitative

• No Assumptions

o Location

o Technical experience

o Project
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Narrative Tools

I. Cover Page 

o NOFO

II. Project Summary

o FY21 CRISI Press Release

III. Project Funding

o NOFO 

o CFR § 200.306 on 

In-Kind contributions 

and matching

o FRA SOW –

Budget Template

IV. Applicant and Project Eligibility

o NOFO

V. Detailed Project Description

o NOFO

VI. Project Location

o Justice40 Census Tracts 

o Congressional Districts 

o Rural Eligibility

o FRA Safety GIS Map

VII. Grade Crossing Information

o Grade Crossing Inventory

VIII. Evaluation and Selection Criteria

o NOFO

IX. Safety Benefit 

o FRA Office of Safety Analysis

o FRA Web Accident Prediction 

System

o Highway Rail Grade Crossing 

Incident Dashboard

X. Project Implementation and 

Management

o FRA Reporting

o FRA Statement of Work 

Templates 

XI. Environmental Readiness

o FRA CE Worksheet

o FRA CE Companion Guide

o FRA NEPA Procedures 

o FRA YouTube Recording on 

NEPA and Competitive 

Grants
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QUESTIONS?
Contact Us

Federal Railroad Administration

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE

Washington, DC 20590

Connect with us USDOTFRA

FRA Railroad Policy and Development Team

Douglas Gascon - Chief

Douglas.Gascon@dot.gov

Deborah Kobrin

Deborah.Kobrin@dot.gov

Sergio Coronado

Sergio.Coronado@dot.gov

617-571-1213

Elena Gonzalez

Elena.Gonzalez@dot.gov

Mariam Ouhamou

mariam.ouhamou@dot.gov

Natalie Williford

natalie.williford@dot.gov