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percent of the net project cost of the equipment or facility 
attributable to compliance with that Act. 
SEC. 8203. COMMUTER RAIL TRANSIT ENHANCEMENT. 
(a) AMENDMENT.—Part E of subtitle V of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘CHAPTER 285—COMMUTER RAIL 
TRANSIT ENHANCEMENT 
‘‘Sec. 
‘‘28501. Definitions 
‘‘28502. Surface Transportation Board mediation of trackage use requests. 
‘‘28503. Surface Transportation Board mediation of rights-of-way use requests. 
‘‘28504. Applicability of other laws. 
‘‘28505. Rules and regulations. 
‘‘§ 28501. Definitions 
‘‘In this chapter— 
‘‘(1) the term ‘Board’ means the Surface 
Transportation Board; 
‘‘(2) the term ‘capital work’ means mainte-
nance, restoration, reconstruction, capacity enhance-
ment, or rehabilitation work on trackage that would 
be treated, in accordance with generally accepted ac-
counting principles, as a capital item rather than an 
expense; 
‘‘(3) the term ‘fixed guideway transportation’ 
means public transportation (as defined in section 
5302(a)(10)) provided on, by, or using a fixed guide-
way (as defined in section 5302(a)(4)); 
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‘‘(4) the term ‘public transportation authority’ 
means a local governmental authority (as defined in 
section 5302(a)(6)) established to provide, or make 
a contract providing for, fixed guideway transpor-
tation; 
‘‘(5) the term ‘rail carrier’ means a person, 
other than a governmental authority, providing com-
mon carrier railroad transportation for compensation 
subject to the jurisdiction of the Board under chap-
ter 105; 
‘‘(6) the term ‘segregated fixed guideway facil-
ity’ means a fixed guideway facility constructed 
within the railroad right-of-way of a rail carrier but 
physically separate from trackage, including relo-
cated trackage, within the right-of-way used by a 
rail carrier for freight transportation purposes; and 
‘‘(7) the term ‘trackage’ means a railroad line 
of a rail carrier, including a spur, industrial, team, 
switching, side, yard, or station track, and a facility 
of a rail carrier. 
‘‘§ 28502. Surface Transportation Board mediation of 
trackage use requests 
‘‘If, after a reasonable period of negotiation, a public 
transportation authority cannot reach agreement with a 
rail carrier to use trackage of, and have related services 
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provided by, the rail carrier for purposes of fixed guideway 
transportation, the public transportation authority or the 
rail carrier may apply to the Board for nonbinding medi-
ation. The Board shall conduct the nonbinding mediation 
in accordance with the mediation process of section 1109.4 
of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on 
the date of enactment of this section. 
‘‘§ 28503. Surface Transportation Board mediation of 
rights-of-way use requests 
‘‘If, after a reasonable period of negotiation, a public 
transportation authority cannot reach agreement with a 
rail carrier to acquire an interest in a railroad right-of- 
way for the construction and operation of a segregated 
fixed guideway facility, the public transportation authority 
or the rail carrier may apply to the Board for nonbinding 
mediation. The Board shall conduct the nonbinding medi-
ation in accordance with the mediation process of section 
1109.4 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, as in ef-
fect on the date of enactment of this section. 
‘‘§ 28504. Applicability of other laws 
‘‘Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to limit 
a rail transportation provider’s right under section 
28103(b) to enter into contracts that allocate financial re-
sponsibility for claims. 
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