29432 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 93 / Friday, May 13, 2022 / Notices 

Carrier Management Information System 

are searched for crash and violation 

data. For non-CDL holders, the Agency 

reviews the driving records from the 

State Driver’s Licensing Agency. These 

factors provide an adequate basis for 

predicting each driver’s ability to 

continue to safely operate a CMV in 

interstate commerce. Therefore, FMCSA 

concludes that extending the exemption 

for each renewal applicant for a period 

of 2 years is likely to achieve a level of 

safety equal to that existing without the 

exemption. 

In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) 

and 31315(b), the following groups of 

drivers received renewed exemptions in 

the month of May and are discussed 

below. 

As of May 15, 2022, and in 

accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) and 

31315(b), the following 29 individuals 

have satisfied the renewal conditions for 

obtaining an exemption from the 

epilepsy and seizure disorders 

prohibition in the FMCSRs for interstate 

CMV drivers: 

William Brown (NC) 

Frank Corino (NJ) 

Barry Dull (OH) 

Robert J. Forney (WI) 

Scott William Gessner (PA) 

Daniel Halstead (NV) 

Aaron Harms (MO) 

Matthew Heinen (MN) 

Logan Hertzler (PA) 

Brian Johnson (MN) 

Preston R. Kanagy (TN) 

Kenneth L. Lewis (NC) 

Larry Lintelman (AK) 

Kevin Market (OH) 

Shane W. Martinek (OK) 

Jeffrey Mills (NC) 

Gary Olsen (MN) 

Randy Pinto (PA) 

Matthew Scarlata (NY) 

Steven Shirley (UT) 

Chad Smith (MA) 

Alvin Strite (PA) 

Jeffrey Totten (KS) 

Paul Vitous (WA) 

Thomas B. Vivirito (PA) 

Mohammad S. Warrad (IA) 

Richard J. Wenner (MN) 

Michael R. Weymouth (NH) 

Dennis R. Zayic (MN) 

The drivers were included in docket 

number FMCSA–2013–0108, FMCSA– 

2013–0442, FMCSA–2014–0381, 

FMCSA–2015–0115, FMCSA–2015– 

0116, FMCSA–2015–0119, FMCSA– 

2015–0320, FMCSA–2015–0321, 

FMCSA–2017–0181, FMCSA–2017– 

0253, FMCSA–2017–0254, FMCSA– 

2018–0050, FMCSA–2019–0030, 

FMCSA–2019–0034, FMCSA–2019– 

0036, FMCSA–2019–0206, FMCSA– 

2019–0211, FMCSA–2019–0212, 

FMCSA–2020–0045, or FMCSA–2020– 

0046. Their exemptions are applicable 

as of May 15, 2022 and will expire on 

May 15, 2024. 

As of May 19, 2022, and in 

accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) and 

31315(b), the following two individuals 

have satisfied the renewal conditions for 

obtaining an exemption from the 

epilepsy and seizure disorders 

prohibition in the FMCSRs for interstate 

CMV drivers: 

Ronald Hartl (WI) and Michael Miller 

(WI). 

The drivers were included in docket 

number FMCSA–2013–0443. Their 

exemptions are applicable as of May 19, 

2022 and will expire on May 19, 2024. 

As of May 30, 2022, and in 

accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) and 

31315(b), Nathan Kanouff (GA) has 

satisfied the renewal conditions for 

obtaining an exemption from the 

epilepsy and seizure disorders 

prohibition in the FMCSRs for interstate 

CMV drivers. 

This driver was included in docket 

number FMCSA–2018–0051. The 

exemption is applicable as of May 30, 

2022 and will expire on May 30, 2024. 

V. Conditions and Requirements 

The exemptions are extended subject 

to the following conditions: (1) Each 

driver must remain seizure-free and 

maintain a stable treatment during the 

2-year exemption period; (2) each driver 

must submit annual reports from their 

treating physicians attesting to the 

stability of treatment and that the driver 

has remained seizure-free; (3) each 

driver must undergo an annual medical 

examination by a certified ME, as 

defined by § 390.5; and (4) each driver 

must provide a copy of the annual 

medical certification to the employer for 

retention in the driver’s qualification 

file, or keep a copy of his/her driver’s 

qualification file if he/she is selfemployed. The driver must also have a 

copy of the exemption when driving, for 

presentation to a duly authorized 

Federal, State, or local enforcement 

official. The exemption will be 

rescinded if: (1) The person fails to 

comply with the terms and conditions 

of the exemption; (2) the exemption has 

resulted in a lower level of safety than 

was maintained before it was granted; or 

(3) continuation of the exemption would 

not be consistent with the goals and 

objectives of 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) and 

31315(b). 

VI. Preemption 

During the period the exemption is in 

effect, no State shall enforce any law or 

regulation that conflicts with this 

exemption with respect to a person 

operating under the exemption. 

VII. Conclusion 

Based on its evaluation of the 32 

exemption applications, FMCSA renews 

the exemptions of the aforementioned 

drivers from the epilepsy and seizure 

disorders prohibition in § 391.41(b)(8). 

In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) 

and 31315(b), each exemption will be 

valid for 2 years unless revoked earlier 

by FMCSA. 

Larry W. Minor, 

Associate Administrator for Policy. 

[FR Doc. 2022–10277 Filed 5–12–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

[Docket No. FRA–2022–0031] 

Establishment of the Corridor 

Identification and Development 

Program 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of establishment; request 

for expressions of interest. 

SUMMARY: On November 15, 2021, 

President Biden signed into law the 

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, 

also known as the Bipartisan 

Infrastructure Law (BIL), which requires 

the Secretary of Transportation 

(Secretary) to establish a Corridor 

Identification and Development 

program to facilitate the development of 

intercity passenger rail corridors within 

180 days of enactment. In compliance 

with this directive, by this Notice, FRA 

is establishing the Corridor 

Identification and Development 

program. 

ADDRESSES: See the SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION section for further 

information regarding submitting 

expressions of interest to docket number 

FRA–2022–0031. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information, please contact Peter 

Schwartz, Chief, Project Engineering 

and Transportation Planning Division, 

by email: PaxRailDev@dot.gov or by 

telephone: 202–493–6360. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents for Supplementary 

Information 

I. Executive Summary 

II. Federal Role in Intercity Passenger Rail 

Service Development 

III. Statutory Overview 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 93 / Friday, May 13, 2022 / Notices 29433 

IV. Outreach 

V. Corridor ID Program Implementation 

VI. Expressions of Interest 

VII. Next Steps 

I. Executive Summary 

The BIL requires the Secretary to 

establish a program—referred to here as 

the Corridor Identification and 

Development Program or Corridor ID 

Program—to facilitate the development 

of intercity passenger rail corridors, 

within 180 days of enactment. 49 U.S.C. 

25101(a). The Federal Railroad 

Administrator is delegated the authority 

to establish and administer the Corridor 

ID Program. 49 CFR 1.89(a). 

The Corridor ID Program establishes a 

comprehensive intercity passenger rail 

planning framework that will help guide 

future federal project development work 

and capital investments. FRA 

encourages eligible entities to submit 

expressions of interest in the Corridor 

ID Program consistent with the 

directions below. In addition, as 

described below, FRA plans to publish 

a notice soliciting proposals by eligible 

entities to participate in the Corridor ID 

Program in the last quarter of this 

calendar year. 

II. Federal Role in Intercity Passenger 

Rail Service Development 

The establishment of the Corridor ID 

Program represents a major milestone in 

the over five decades of Federal work on 

intercity passenger rail development. 

Beginning with the enactment of the 

High-Speed Ground Transportation Act 

of 1965, FRA worked to deploy modern 

high-speed ground transportation 

technologies and introduced a multimodal, long-term planning effort for the 

Northeast Corridor (NEC). With the 

creation of Amtrak in 1970, and the 

subsequent major engineering and 

construction effort of the Northeast 

Corridor Improvement Project, FRA 

helped to demonstrate the ability of 

intercity passenger rail to compete 

successfully in the passenger 

transportation market of one of the 

country’s most heavily traveled 

corridors. 

In the 1980s, FRA, in conjunction 

with Amtrak, issued a series of reports 

on ‘‘Emerging Corridors,’’ which 

explored the potential for the 

development of intercity passenger rail 

corridors throughout the United States. 

At the same time, States began to 

demonstrate increased interest and 

involvement in intercity passenger rail 

development, with many undertaking 

independent investigations into the 

development of new corridors. State 

interest in intercity passenger rail 

development has continued to grow, 

with many States now considering 

passenger rail an integral part of their 

State transportation policy, and 

providing significant funding to the 

operation, improvement, and expansion 

of such services. 

With the enactment of the Intermodal 

Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 

1991, Congress called upon FRA to 

designate five high-speed rail corridors 

for the purpose of directing funding for 

the elimination of railroad-highway 

grade crossings (from 1998 through 2011 

FRA made additional corridor 

designations and extensions). FRA also 

completed a ‘‘commercial feasibility 

study’’ of high-speed ground 

transportation systems, resulting in the 

1997 report High-Speed Ground 

Transportation for America, which 

examined the potential of a variety of 

high-speed ground transportation 

technologies across eight illustrative 

corridors. 

Then, in the Passenger Rail 

Investment and Improvement Act of 

2008, Congress expanded the role of 

States in intercity passenger rail 

development and implementation, and 

created several new grant programs to 

fund capital improvements to existing 

and new intercity passenger rail 

services. Under these new programs, 

FRA administered significant 

investments in passenger rail 

development and implementation. 

These efforts included funding for 

service development plans, preliminary 

engineering and environmental review 

work activities, and engagement with 

State rail plans, as well as the 

development of regional rail plans. 

Additional railroad capital 

improvement programs were established 

by the Fixing America’s Surface 

Transportation Act of 2015, and 

significant funding has been 

appropriated for those programs in 

every year since. Most recently, the 

enactment of the BIL has provided a 

historic, unprecedented level of funding 

for the improvement and expansion of 

intercity passenger rail service. 

Importantly, the BIL requires the 

establishment of the Corridor ID 

Program—a formal framework to guide 

the future development of intercity 

passenger rail throughout the country. 

Unlike previous Federal intercity 

passenger rail planning efforts, the 

Corridor ID Program is intended both to 

support a sustained long-term 

development effort, and to set forth a 

capital project pipeline ready for 

Federal (and other) funding. 

III. Statutory Overview 

A. In General 

The BIL requires the Secretary, within 

180 days of enactment, to establish the 

Corridor ID Program to facilitate the 

development of intercity passenger rail 

corridors. 49 U.S.C. 25101(a). 

The BIL further provides that the 

Corridor ID Program shall include: (1) A 

process for eligible entities to submit 

proposals for the development of 

corridors; (2) a process for the review 

and selection of such proposals; (3) 

criteria for determining level of 

readiness for Federal financial 

assistance of a corridor (to include 

identification of the service operator, 

service sponsor, and capital project 

sponsors; engagement with host 

railroads; and other criteria determined 

appropriate by the Secretary); (4) a 

process for preparing service 

development plans; (5) the creation of a 

pipeline of intercity passenger rail 

corridor projects; (6) planning guidance; 

and (7) such other features as the 

Secretary considers relevant to the 

successful development of intercity 

passenger rail corridors. 49 U.S.C. 

25101(a)(1)–(7). 

B. Eligible Entities 

The following entities are eligible to 

submit proposals to participate in the 

Corridor ID Program: (1) Amtrak; (2) 

States; (3) groups of States; (4) entities 

implementing interstate compacts; (5) 

regional passenger rail authorities; (6) 

regional planning organizations; (7) 

political subdivisions of a State; (8) 

federally-recognized Indian Tribes; and 

(9) other public entities, as determined 

by the Secretary. 49 U.S.C. 25101(b). 

C. Eligible Routes 

The following types of routes are 

eligible to participate in the Corridor ID 

Program: (1) A new intercity passenger 

rail route of less than 750 miles; (2) the 

enhancement of an existing intercity 

passenger rail route of less than 750 

miles; (3) the restoration of service over 

all or portions of an intercity passenger 

rail route formerly operated by Amtrak; 

and (4) the increase of service frequency 

of a long-distance intercity passenger 

rail route. 49 U.S.C. 25101(h). 

D. Selection Criteria 

In selecting intercity passenger rail 

corridors for participation in the 

Corridor ID Program, the Secretary must 

consider 14 criteria, as follows: 

(1) Whether the route was identified 

as part of a regional or interregional 

planning study; 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
29434 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 93 / Friday, May 13, 2022 / Notices 

(2) The projected ridership, revenues, 

capital investment, and operating 

funding requirements; 

(3) The anticipated environmental, 

congestion mitigation, and other public 

benefits; 

(4) The projected trip times and their 

competitiveness with other 

transportation modes; 

(5) The anticipated positive economic 

and employment impacts; 

(6) The committed or anticipated nonFederal funding for operating and 

capital costs; 

(7) The benefits to rural communities; 

(8) Whether the corridor is included 

in a State’s approved State rail plan; 

(9) Whether the corridor serves 

historically unserved or underserved 

and low-income communities or areas 

of persistent poverty; 

(10) Whether the corridor would 

benefit or improve connectivity with 

existing or planned transportation 

services of other modes; 

(11) Whether the corridor connects at 

least 2 of the 100 most populated 

metropolitan areas; 

(12) Whether the corridor would 

enhance the regional equity and 

geographic diversity of intercity 

passenger rail service; 

(13) Whether the corridor is or would 

be integrated into the national rail 

passenger transportation system and 

would create benefits for other 

passenger rail routes and services; and 

(14) Whether a passenger rail operator 

has expressed support for the corridor. 

E. Service Development Plans 

For each proposal selected for 

development under the Corridor ID 

Program, the Secretary shall partner 

with the proposing entity, relevant 

States, and Amtrak, as appropriate, to 

prepare a service development plan (or 

to update an existing service 

development plan). 49 U.S.C. 25101(d). 

These service development plans 

include the following information: (1) A 

detailed description of the proposed 

intercity passenger rail service, 

including train frequencies, peak and 

average operating speeds, and trip 

times; (2) a corridor project inventory 

that identifies the capital projects 

necessary to achieve the proposed 

service and the order in which Federal 

funding will be sought; (3) a schedule 

and associated phasing of projects and 

related service initiation or changes; (4) 

project sponsors and other entities 

expected to participate in carrying out 

the plan; (5) a description of how the 

corridor would comply with Federal rail 

safety and security laws; (6) the 

locations of existing and proposed 

stations; (7) the needs for rolling stock 

and other equipment; (8) a financial 

plan; (9) a description of how the 

corridor would contribute to the 

development of a multi-State regional 

network of intercity passenger rail; (10) 

an intermodal plan describing how the 

new or improved corridor facilitates 

travel connections with other passenger 

transportation services; (11) a 

description of the anticipated 

environmental benefits of the corridor; 

and (12) a description of the corridor’s 

impacts on highway and aviation 

congestion, energy consumption, land 

use, and economic development in the 

service area. 49 U.S.C. 25101(d)(1)–(12). 

In partnering on the preparation of a 

service development plan, the Secretary 

must consult with: Amtrak; State and 

regional transportation authorities and 

local officials; representatives of 

employee labor organizations; host 

railroads; and other stakeholders as 

determined by the Secretary. 49 U.S.C. 

25101(e). 

In addition, every five years after the 

initial development of a service 

development plan, if at least 40% of the 

work to implement the plan has not 

been completed, then the plan’s 

sponsor, in consultation with the 

Secretary, shall determine whether the 

plan should be updated. 49 U.S.C. 

25101(f). 

F. Project Pipeline 

Within 1 year of establishing the 

program, and by February 1st of each 

year thereafter, the Secretary must 

submit a ‘‘project pipeline’’ report to 

Congress. 49 U.S.C. 25101(g). The 

project pipeline report: (1) Identifies 

intercity passenger rail corridors 

selected for development; (2) identifies 

capital projects for Federal investment, 

project applicants, and proposed 

Federal funding levels, as applicable; (3) 

specifies the order in which the 

Secretary would provide Federal 

financial assistance to projects that have 

been identified; (4) takes into 

consideration the appropriate sequence 

and phasing of projects; (5) takes into 

consideration the existing commitments 

and anticipated Federal, project 

applicant, sponsor, and other relevant 

funding levels for the next 5 fiscal years; 

(6) is prioritized based on the level of 

readiness of the corridor; and (7) reflects 

consultation with Amtrak. 49 U.S.C. 

25101(g)(1)–(7). 

G. Funding 

FRA is authorized to use up to 5 

percent of the funding made available 

for the Federal-State Partnership for 

Intercity Passenger Rail grants (FedState Partnership) program to carry out 

planning and development activities, 

including eligible activities related to 

the Corridor ID Program. 49 U.S.C. 

24911(k). Such activities include: (1) 

Providing funding to public entities for 

the development of SDPs selected under 

the Corridor ID Program; (2) facilitating 

and providing guidance for intercity 

passenger rail systems planning; and (3) 

providing funding for the development 

and refinement of intercity passenger 

rail systems planning analytical tools 

and models. 49 U.S.C. 24911(k). 

In addition, under the Fed-State 

Partnership program, when selecting 

projects for funding that are not located 

on the NEC, the Secretary must give 

preference to eligible projects that are 

identified in, and consistent with, a 

corridor inventory prepared under the 

Corridor ID Program. 49 U.S.C. 

24911(d)(2)(A)(i). Similarly, under the 

Restoration and Enhancements Grants 

program, the Secretary must give 

priority to applications for routes 

selected under the Corridor ID Program 

and operated by Amtrak. 49 U.S.C. 

22908(d)(10). 

IV. Outreach 

FRA has conducted, and intends to 

continue, extensive outreach to ensure 

the Corridor ID Program is positioned to 

successfully facilitate the development 

of intercity passenger rail corridors. 

A. Request for Information 

FRA published a Request for 

Information (RFI) in the Federal 

Register on February 7, 2022 seeking 

comments on the Corridor ID Program 

and how it can best serve stakeholders 

and the public in facilitating the 

development of intercity passenger rail 

corridors. FRA–2022–0006–0001. The 

RFI included a number of specific 

questions regarding the Corridor ID 

Program, including: Roles and 

responsibilities within the Corridor ID 

Program; service development plans; the 

project pipeline; the funding of program 

activities; readiness of proposals for 

selection into the Corridor ID Program; 

criteria for the selection of proposals; 

and the selectivity of the Corridor ID 

Program. 

In response, FRA received over 400, 

many quite detailed, comments in 

connection with the RFI. These 

comments are invaluable to FRA and 

inform FRA’s approach to the Corridor 

ID Program. 

B. Listening Sessions 

FRA conducted three listening 

sessions in connection with the Corridor 

ID Program. On February 16, 2022, FRA 

held a virtual listening session with 

entities who are eligible to submit 

proposals under the Corridor ID 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 93 / Friday, May 13, 2022 / Notices 29435 

Program. On February 17, 2022, FRA 

held a virtual listening session with host 

railroads. Also, on February 17, 2022, 

FRA held a virtual listening session 

with associations, advocacy groups, 

contractors, and other stakeholders 

interested in the Corridor ID Program. A 

total of 469 individuals registered to 

attend these three listening sessions. 

At each of these listening sessions, 

FRA presented an overview of the 

statutory framework of the Corridor ID 

Program, and invited comments and 

statements on the Corridor ID Program 

and the focused topics presented in the 

RFI. 

The listening sessions successfully 

generated many comments on the 

Program. While the comments were not 

uniform, represented a variety of 

perspectives, and addressed many 

aspects of the Corridor ID Program from 

its broad framework to its details, 

several themes emerged. These themes 

included the following, that the 

Corridor ID Program should: (1) Expand 

on the geographic scope of previous 

corridor development efforts in order to 

serve communities and regions that are 

not currently well-served by passenger 

rail service; (2) in addition to laying the 

foundation for a longer-term planning 

framework, also strive to deliver ‘‘quick 

wins;’’ (3) include multi-State and 

multi-project corridors; (4) be clear on 

the length of eligible corridors; (5) place 

relatively less emphasis on the selection 

criteria regarding non-Federal funding 

for operating costs; (6) be clear on how 

the Corridor ID Program relates to other 

FRA programs and requirements; (7) be 

clear on whether the corridor must be in 

a State rail plan; (8) provide multi-year 

funding; (9) provide ‘‘tracks’’ with 

different evaluation criteria to 

accommodate corridor proposals at 

different levels of readiness; (10) be 

clear on how a project that is not 

initially selected can join the Corridor 

ID Program at a later date; and (11) 

provide a clear timeline for application 

and selection. 

V. Corridor ID Program 

Implementation 

A. In General 

FRA intends for the Corridor ID 

Program, as it grows and matures, to 

become the primary means for directing 

Federal financial support and technical 

assistance toward the development of 

proposals for new or improved intercity 

passenger rail services throughout the 

United States. Development activities 

under the Corridor ID Program will 

include the preparation of Service 

Development Plans, the identification of 

capital projects necessary to support a 

corridor, and the advancement of such 

projects, as appropriate, through 

preliminary engineering (PE) and the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) process, for the ultimate 

purpose of advancing the corridor for 

subsequent and immediate 

implementation (comprising final 

design and construction activities). 

Importantly, the selection of a corridor 

into the Corridor ID Program will 

represent a decision by FRA to provide 

financial assistance for the completion 

of these pre-implementation corridor 

development activities, subject to the 

successful completion of program 

requirements and the availability of 

funding. That said, FRA also intends to 

provide guidance, outreach, and 

technical assistance to entities that 

submit proposals that are not selected 

for the Corridor ID Program, in order to 

assist in the refinement of such 

proposals for future consideration. 

While the Corridor ID Program itself 

will only encompass the preconstruction development of selected 

corridors—which may include 

planning, environmental review, 

preliminary engineering, and other 

corridor development activities— 

selection of corridors into the Corridor 

ID Program by FRA will reflect the 

agency’s interest in the advancement of 

these corridors to implementation and 

operation. As such, an important 

consideration in selecting corridors will 

be the demonstration of a commitment 

on the part of the entity submitting the 

proposal, and the corridor’s proposed 

capital project and service sponsors, to 

the future implementation and 

operation of the corridor (e.g., 

documented support for the proposal 

from relevant legislative and executive 

government bodies, an established 

history of support for intercity 

passenger rail operations and capital 

investments, etc.). While this 

commitment may be preliminary when 

submitting a proposal, FRA expects that 

the commitment will grow and solidify 

as the corridor advances through 

development under the Corridor ID 

Program. 

As detailed below under ‘‘Next 

Steps,’’ in the last quarter of calendar 

year 2022, FRA plans to issue a notice 

soliciting proposals from eligible 

entities to participate in the Corridor ID 

Program. That solicitation will provide 

detailed information on the Corridor ID 

Program’s application requirements, in 

addition to other relevant information. 

FRA will consider proposals both for 

entirely undeveloped concepts for new 

or improved corridors, and for concepts 

that have been the subject of past or 

ongoing development efforts. For the 

latter, selection into the Corridor ID 

Program will provide the opportunity to 

complete or update the prior corridor 

development efforts, and to include 

capital projects necessary to implement 

those corridors in the Corridor ID 

Program project pipeline. 

In keeping with the long-range 

orientation of the Corridor ID Program, 

FRA anticipates issuing subsequent 

solicitations for proposals at regular 

intervals to allow new corridors, when 

ready, to enter the Corridor ID Program. 

Such an approach will allow for a 

consistent flow of new corridors 

entering the Corridor ID Program for 

development, and fully-developed 

corridors (or implementation phases of 

corridors) exiting the Corridor ID 

Program with capital projects ready for 

construction and funding opportunities. 

Furthermore, in advance of the first 

solicitation of proposals FRA is 

encouraging eligible entities interested 

in submitting a corridor proposal to 

submit a comment in response to this 

Notice expressing such interest (see 

section VI. Expressions of Interest 

below). FRA intends to use these 

Expressions of Interest to assist in 

developing the initial solicitation of 

proposals, and to facilitate potential 

outreach, prior to the issuance of the 

initial solicitation, to entities that 

express an interest in submitting a 

proposal. 

B. Proposals 

The details of the required content for 

proposals to the Corridor ID Program 

will be set forth in FRA’s forthcoming 

notice soliciting proposals. In general, 

FRA will seek: (1) Information regarding 

the basic characteristics of the corridor; 

(2) information necessary to assess the 

readiness of the corridor to enter into 

development under the Corridor ID 

Program; and (3) information necessary 

to assess a proposal against the Corridor 

ID Program’s statutory selection criteria 

(see section III.D. Selection Criteria 

above). 

In terms of the basic characteristics of 

a proposed corridor, a proposal will 

need to identify the key geographic 

travel markets (‘‘corridor-defining 

markets’’) which must be served for the 

corridor to fulfill its intended objectives. 

The proposal should also include highlevel initial estimates, preferably 

expressed as ranges or options, of 

certain characteristics for the corridor, 

including: (1) Potential service 

frequencies and travel times between 

the corridor-defining markets; and (2) 

the potential geographic routes for the 

proposed corridor, particularly if the 

subject corridor is intended to operate 

over existing rail lines. 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
29436 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 93 / Friday, May 13, 2022 / Notices 

In general, proposals should not 

include information at a level of detail 

or specificity that overlaps with that of 

an SDP, as such information will be 

prepared in partnership with FRA as 

part of the subsequent development of 

the corridor under the Corridor ID 

Program. 49 U.S.C. 25101(d). However, 

for proposals that relate to corridors that 

have been the subject of prior 

development efforts (such as the 

preparation of an SDP) undertaken with 

FRA’s direct participation, such 

proposals may reference the findings, 

recommendations, and conclusions of 

that earlier development work. 

In regards to the readiness of the 

corridor for development under the 

Corridor ID Program, a proposal should 

demonstrate the existing level of 

commitment of the entity submitting the 

proposal, and the corridor’s proposed 

capital project and service sponsors, to 

the future implementation and 

operation of the corridor, including the 

degree of coordination and agreement 

among these parties. FRA does not plan 

to require that a proposal demonstrate a 

commitment by host railroads over 

which the corridor would operate, as 

coordination and consultation with host 

railroads will be conducted as part of 

the preparation of an SDP under the 

Corridor ID Program. 49 U.S.C. 

25101(e)(4). Furthermore, due to the 

significance that the operation of a 

service by Amtrak would have on the 

corridor development process 

(including the use and improvement of 

facilities of host railroads, ongoing 

operating and maintenance costs, and 

requirements regarding the provision of 

operating financial support by service 

sponsors), FRA also plans to request 

that proposals explicitly state whether 

or not the corridor is intended to be 

operated by Amtrak. 

FRA also plans to request that 

proposals include information 

regarding: The legal, technical, and 

financial capability and capacity of the 

eligible entity and relevant partners to 

engage in the development of the 

corridor, as well as their ability to 

develop further such capabilities and 

capacities to support the future 

implementation and operation of the 

corridor; and the ability to provide the 

necessary future non-Federal share of 

funding for capital projects and ongoing 

operating financial support for the 

corridor. The ability to secure such 

future funding may be demonstrated by 

the corridor sponsor’s past or current 

funding of intercity passenger rail 

capital improvements and operations. In 

addition, FRA plans to request that an 

entity submitting a corridor proposal 

demonstrate that funding has been 

secured for the non-Federal share of 

costs associated with the first stage of 

development of the proposal under the 

program (i.e., the preparation, or 

updating, of an SDP, and the definition 

and identification of a preliminary range 

of reasonable alternatives for the 

immediate implementation phase or 

phases of the corridor—see 

‘‘Development Stages’’ below). 

Lastly, FRA recognizes that corridor 

proposals will vary widely in their 

complexity, risks, and requirements. As 

such, the required level of detail for a 

corridor proposal will vary based on the 

characteristics of the corridor. For 

example, the required content for 

proposals for more complex corridors 

(e.g., proposing the construction of new 

rail lines, involving significant 

improvement to host railroad facilities, 

requiring significant increases in 

ongoing operating financial support by 

the service sponsor, etc.) will be more 

comprehensive than those for less 

complex corridors (e.g., proposing 

incremental improvements to an 

existing corridor with few or no 

improvements to host railroad facilities, 

and little to no increased requirement 

for ongoing operating financial support 

by the service sponsor). 

C. Selection 

FRA will select corridors for 

participation in the Corridor ID Program 

based on an assessment of the readiness 

of the corridor to commence 

development under the Corridor ID 

Program (including the demonstrated 

level of commitment to the 

development, implementation, and 

operation of the corridor), and through 

the application of the statutory selection 

criteria. As noted above, the selection of 

a corridor will represent a key decision 

by FRA to provide financial assistance 

for pre-implementation activities 

supporting the development of the 

corridor under the Corridor ID Program 

(subject to the successful completion of 

program requirements and the 

availability of funding). FRA also 

intends to provide guidance to entities 

that submit proposals that are not 

selected in order to assist in the 

refinement of such proposals for future 

consideration. 

While FRA intends the Corridor ID 

Program to support the development of 

many, varied intercity passenger rail 

corridors, FRA may limit its selection of 

corridors, particularly during the start of 

the program, based on several 

considerations. Such considerations 

may include the availability of Federal 

funding to implement corridors 

developed under the Corridor ID 

Program, the capacity of the intercity 

passenger rail industry as a whole to 

support the corridor development 

efforts, and a strategy to grow the 

Corridor ID Program at a sustainable 

rate. 

D. Development Stages 

As discussed, for selected corridors, 

FRA will partner with the entity that 

submitted the proposal, relevant States, 

and Amtrak, as appropriate, to complete 

the corridor development activities 

necessary to prepare the proposed 

corridor (or the independent 

implementation phases of a proposed 

corridor) for implementation. This 

corridor development work will be 

undertaken in two stages. 

The first stage is the preparation of an 

SDP (or an update to an existing SDP), 

and the completion of the additional 

planning and engineering work required 

to fully define a preliminary range of 

reasonable alternatives for the capital 

projects identified as necessary to 

implement the corridor (or the initial 

implementation phase or phases of the 

corridor). 

Following the successful completion 

of this first stage, the corridor (or the 

initial implementation phase or phases 

of the corridor) will advance to the 

second stage of development under the 

Corridor ID Program. The second stage 

is the completion of all additional 

corridor development work required to 

ready the corridor (or the initial phase 

or phases of implementing the corridor) 

for implementation. Such work will 

include the completion of PE and NEPA 

activities for the corridor, and other 

prerequisites to implement the service. 

E. Service Development Plans 

Under the Corridor ID Program, SDPs 

will represent the first major product of 

the corridor development process and 

will address all those topics described 

in section III.E. above. Furthermore, 

SDPs may be prepared under the 

Corridor ID Program as long-range 

corridor planning documents, with the 

option for the implementation of such a 

long-range plan to be pursued in 

multiple consecutive phases. In 

particular, SDPs may reflect two or more 

discrete implementation phases, with 

each phase associated with a specific 

geographic scope and set of service 

characteristics. Likewise, the corridor 

project inventory that is a major element 

of an SDP would be categorized by those 

projects required to implement each 

discrete phase. With this approach, FRA 

intends both to avoid a situation in 

which a corridor may be developed only 

as an ‘‘all-or-nothing’’ proposition, and 

to minimize the possibility that nearterm implementation of a corridor 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 93 / Friday, May 13, 2022 / Notices 29437 

would conflict with the longer-term 

implementation of the corridor. 

F. Project Pipeline 

FRA will annually submit to Congress 

a project pipeline that addresses the 

topics described in section III.F. above, 

including the identification of capital 

projects necessary to implement 

corridors developed under the Corridor 

ID Program. These capital projects will 

consist of those ready for immediate 

implementation (i.e., to advance 

towards the completion of final design 

and construction). 

FRA recognizes that not all capital 

projects included within the corridor 

project inventory of an SDP—and 

particularly those projects associated 

with a corridor’s later implementation 

phases—will be immediately advanced 

within the Corridor ID Program to 

prepare them for implementation. As 

such, FRA also plans to include in its 

annual report to Congress a separate list 

of those projects that are under active 

development (i.e., projects conducting 

PE and NEPA work activities) for future 

advancement into the project pipeline. 

G. Funding 

As described above, funding for the 

Corridor ID Program is available. FRA 

will provide this funding through 

cooperative agreements with eligible 

entities, and will require not less than 

a 20 percent non-Federal share of 

eligible costs, consistent with the 

requirements of the Fed-State 

Partnership program. 

FRA will provide such funding 

consistent with the two stages of project 

development for selected corridors 

described above. First, FRA will provide 

funding for the preparation of an SDP 

(or to update an existing SDP) and the 

completion of the additional planning 

and engineering work required to fullydefine a preliminary range of reasonable 

alternatives for the capital projects 

identified as necessary to implement the 

corridor. Second, following the 

successful completion of the first stage, 

FRA will provide funding for applicable 

PE and NEPA work activities for the 

corridor, to ready them for 

implementation. 

VI. Expressions of Interest 

FRA encourages eligible entities 

interested in submitting a corridor 

proposal under the Corridor ID Program 

to submit a comment in docket number 

FRA–2022–0031 available at https://

www.regulations.gov. Search by using 

the docket number and follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Instructions: All submissions must 

include the agency name and docket 

number for this Notice, and should be 

limited to the following information: 

Name and contact information, a 

description of the entity submitting the 

expression of interest, and the 

endpoints of the corridor. 

Note: All comments received, including 

any personal information, will be posted 

without change to the docket and will be 

accessible to the public at https://

www.regulations.gov. You should not include 

information in your comment that you do not 

want to be made public. Input submitted 

online via www.regulations.gov is not 

immediately posted to the site. It may take 

several business days before your submission 

is posted. 

VII. Next Steps 

FRA anticipates publishing a notice 

requesting proposals to participate in 

the Corridor ID Program in the last 

quarter of the 2022 calendar year. That 

notice may include funding 

opportunities and will provide detailed 

procedural and substantive Corridor ID 

Program information. 

In addition, in connection with the 

administration of the Corridor ID 

Program, FRA plans to provide guidance 

for intercity passenger rail planning, 

including guidance for intercity 

passenger rail corridors not selected by 

the Corridor ID Program, and to develop 

and refine intercity passenger rail 

planning analytical tools and models. 

Lastly, as the Corridor ID Program 

matures, FRA will likely develop 

additional guidance in support of the 

program. 

Issued in Washington, DC. 

Paul Nissenbaum, 

Asociate Administrator, Office of Railroad 

Policy and Development. 

[FR Doc. 2022–10250 Filed 5–12–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration 

[Docket Nos. NHTSA–2021–0043 and 

NHTSA–2021–0072; Notice 1] 

BMW of North America, LLC, and 

Mazda North American Operations, 

Receipt of Petitions for Decision of 

Inconsequential Noncompliance 

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration (NHTSA), 

Department of Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Receipt of petitions. 

SUMMARY: BMW of North America, LLC 

(BMW), a subsidiary of BMW AG, 

Munich, Germany, and Mazda North 

American Operations (Mazda) have 

determined that certain replacement 

seat belt assemblies manufactured for 

installation in certain BMW, Mini, 

Rolls-Royce, and Mazda motor vehicles 

do not fully comply with Federal Motor 

Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 

209, Seat Belt Assemblies. BMW and 

Mazda, collectively referred to as ‘‘the 

petitioners,’’ filed the appropriate 

noncompliance reports and 

subsequently petitioned NHTSA for a 

decision that the subject noncompliance 

is inconsequential as it relates to motor 

vehicle safety. This document 

announces receipt of the petitioners’ 

petitions. 

DATES: Send comments on or before 

June 13, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written data, views, 

and arguments on this petition. 

Comments must refer to the docket and 

notice number cited in the title of this 

notice and submitted by any of the 

following methods: 

• Mail: Send comments by mail 

addressed to the U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, M– 

30, West Building Ground Floor, Room 

W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 

Washington, DC 20590. 

• Hand Delivery: Deliver comments 

by hand to the U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, M– 

30, West Building Ground Floor, Room 

W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 

Washington, DC 20590. The Docket 

Section is open on weekdays from 10 

a.m. to 5 p.m. except for Federal 

holidays. 

• Electronically: Submit comments 

electronically by logging onto the 

Federal Docket Management System 

(FDMS) website at https://

www.regulations.gov/. Follow the online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Comments may also be faxed to 

(202) 493–2251. 

Comments must be written in the 

English language and be no greater than 

15 pages in length, although there is no 

limit to the length of necessary 

attachments to the comments. If 

comments are submitted in hard copy 

form, please ensure that two copies are 

provided. If you wish to receive 

confirmation that comments you have 

submitted by mail were received, please 

enclose a stamped, self-addressed 

postcard with the comments. Note that 

all comments received will be posted 

without change to https://

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information provided. 

All comments and supporting 

materials received before the close of 

business on the closing date indicated 

above will be filed in the docket and 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1