FRA 12-21

December 7, 2021

Contact: FRA Public Affairs

Tel.: (202) 493-6024 

FRAPA@DOT.gov

Federal Railroad Administration Announces the Availability of $198 Million in 

Grant Funding for Intercity Passenger Rail Capital Projects

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration 

(FRA) today issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Federal-State Partnership for State 

of Good Repair Grant Program (Partnership Program). The NOFO includes $198 million in grant 

funding to repair and rehabilitate qualified intercity passenger railroad infrastructure and assets. It will 

also provide an opportunity to jumpstart investments in eligible projects under the recently enacted 

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

“The Partnership Program will make targeted investments to improve and modernize rail assets used in 

intercity passenger rail service,” said FRA Deputy Administrator Amit Bose. “This funding provides a 

valuable opportunity to enhance the safety, efficiency and resiliency of intercity passenger rail 

infrastructure and services, and we encourage all eligible parties to apply.”

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Partnership Program will fund capital projects that reduce the state of good 

repair backlog and improve intercity passenger rail performance on publicly or Amtrak-owned or 

-controlled infrastructure. Eligible applicants may seek to replace existing assets in-kind or with new 

ones that increase capacity or provide a higher level of service; ensure that service can be maintained 

while existing assets are brought to a state of good repair; and bring existing assets to a state of good 

repair. This notice also makes some incidental Capital Project expenses eligible for funding, including 

designing, engineering, location surveying, mapping, environmental studies and acquiring rights-of-way. 

Under the Partnership Program, grants are intended to benefit both the Northeast Corridor (NEC) and 

the considerable amount of infrastructure, equipment and facilities outside the NEC that are publicly or 

Amtrak-owned or-controlled. Applications will be evaluated and selected on a competitive basis. Project 

proposals should support key Departmental objectives including: fostering a safe transportation system; 

contributing to equitable economic progress from infrastructure investment; ensuring investments meet 

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racial equity and economic inclusion goals; increasing resilience and addressing climate change; and 

transforming our nation’s transportation infrastructure. 

The Federal share of a project’s total cost must not exceed 80 percent, and the required 20 percent nonFederal share may be composed of public sector or private sector funding, or both. Selection preference 

will be given to applications that propose a 50 percent or less Federal share of total project costs.

While this NOFO is authorized and appropriated under the FAST Act, starting next year in FY22, the 

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will increase funding for the Partnership Program, authorizing up to $43.5 

billion over five years. These funds will be made available to the NEC and for eligible uses outside the 

NEC to advance transformational projects.

The FY21 Partnership Program NOFO will be published in the Federal Register on December 7, 2021, 

and applications are due on March 7, 2022. FRA will host a webinar on December 14, 2021, to provide 

technical assistance to applicants. For more details about the Partnership Program and to register for the 

webinar, click here.

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