[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 93 (Friday, May 13, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29432-29437]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-10250]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c898a9b09aa9a1a48cadbe88aca7bce6afa7be"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6434051c36050d0820011224000b104a030b12">[email protected]</span></a> 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

[[Page 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 multi-
modal, 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;

[[Page 29434]]

    (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 non-Federal 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 (Fed-State 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

[[Page 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 pre-
construction 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 
high-level 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.

[[Page 29436]]

    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 
near-term implementation of a corridor

[[Page 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 fully-define 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


</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>