H. R. 22—358 
(1) INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL.—The term ‘‘intercity pas-
senger rail’’ has the meaning given the term in section 24102 
of title 49, United States Code. 
(2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any of the 50 States 
or the District of Columbia. 
SEC. 11309. LARGE CAPITAL PROJECT REQUIREMENTS. 
Section 24402 of title 49, United States Code, is amended 
by inserting after subsection (i) the following: 
‘‘(j) LARGE CAPITAL PROJECT REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For a grant awarded under this chapter 
for an amount in excess of $1,000,000,000, the following condi-
tions shall apply: 
‘‘(A) The Secretary may not obligate any funding unless 
the applicant demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the Sec-
retary, that the applicant has committed, and will be able 
to fulfill, the non-Federal share required for the grant 
within the applicant’s proposed project completion time-
table. 
‘‘(B) The Secretary may not obligate any funding for 
work activities that occur after the completion of final 
design unless— 
‘‘(i) the applicant submits a financial plan to the 
Secretary that generally identifies the sources of the 
non-Federal funding required for any subsequent seg-
ments or phases of the corridor service development 
program covering the project for which the grant is 
awarded; 
‘‘(ii) the grant will result in a useable segment, 
a transportation facility, or equipment, that has oper-
ational independence; and 
‘‘(iii) the intercity passenger rail benefits antici-
pated to result from the grant, such as increased speed, 
improved on-time performance, reduced trip time, 
increased frequencies, new service, safety improve-
ments, improved accessibility, or other significant 
enhancements, are detailed by the grantee and 
approved by the Secretary. 
‘‘(C)(i) The Secretary shall ensure that the project is 
maintained to the level of utility that is necessary to sup-
port the benefits approved under subparagraph (B)(iii) for 
a period of 20 years from the date on which the useable 
segment, transportation facility, or equipment described 
in subparagraph (B)(ii) is placed in service. 
‘‘(ii) If the project property is not maintained as 
required under clause (i) for a 12-month period, the grant 
recipient shall refund a pro-rata share of the Federal con-
tribution, based upon the percentage remaining of the 20- 
year period that commenced when the project property 
was placed in service. 
‘‘(2) EARLY
WORK.—The Secretary may allow a grantee 
subject to this subsection to engage in at-risk work activities 
subsequent to the conclusion of final design if the Secretary 
determines that such work activities are reasonable and nec-
essary.’’.
H. R. 22—359 
SEC. 11310. SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION STUDY. 
(a) STUDY.—The Secretary shall conduct a nationwide disparity 
and availability study on the availability and use of small business 
concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically dis-
advantaged individuals and veteran-owned small businesses in pub-
licly funded intercity rail passenger transportation projects. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report containing the 
results of the study conducted under subsection (a) to the Committee 
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN.—The term ‘‘small business 
concern’’ has the meaning given such term in section 3 of 
the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632), except that the term 
does not include any concern or group of concerns controlled 
by the same socially and economically disadvantaged individual 
or individuals that have average annual gross receipts during 
the preceding 3 fiscal years in excess of $22,410,000, as adjusted 
annually by the Secretary for inflation. 
(2) SOCIALLY
AND
ECONOMICALLY
DISADVANTAGED
INDI-
VIDUAL.—The term ‘‘socially and economically disadvantaged 
individual’’ has the meaning given such term in section 8(d) 
of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(d)) and relevant 
subcontracting regulations issued pursuant to such Act, except 
that women shall be presumed to be socially and economically 
disadvantaged individuals for purposes of this section. 
(3) VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS.—The term ‘‘veteran- 
owned small business’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘small 
business concern owned and controlled by veterans’’ in section 
3(q)(3) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632(q)(3)), except 
that the term does not include any concern or group of concerns 
controlled by the same veterans that have average annual 
gross receipts during the preceding 3 fiscal years in excess 
of $22,410,000, as adjusted annually by the Secretary for infla-
tion. 
SEC. 11311. SHARED-USE STUDY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with Amtrak, 
commuter rail passenger transportation authorities, other railroad 
carriers, railroad carriers that own rail infrastructure over which 
both passenger and freight trains operate, States, the Surface 
Transportation Board, the Northeast Corridor Commission estab-
lished under section 24905 of title 49, United States Code, the 
State-Supported Route Committee established under section 24712 
of such title, and groups representing rail passengers and cus-
tomers, as appropriate, shall complete a study that evaluates— 
(1) the shared use of right-of-way by passenger and freight 
rail systems; and 
(2) the operational, institutional, and legal structures that 
would best support improvements to the systems referred to 
in paragraph (1). 
(b) AREAS OF STUDY.—In conducting the study under subsection 
(a), the Secretary shall evaluate—
H. R. 22—360 
(1) the access and use of railroad right-of-way by a rail 
carrier that does not own the right-of-way, such as passenger 
rail services that operate over privately-owned right-of-way, 
including an analysis of— 
(A) access agreements; 
(B) costs of access; and 
(C) the resolution of disputes relating to such access 
or costs; 
(2) the effectiveness of existing contractual, statutory, and 
regulatory mechanisms for establishing, measuring, and 
enforcing train performance standards, including— 
(A) the manner in which passenger train delays are 
recorded; 
(B) the assignment of responsibility for such delays; 
and 
(C) the use of incentives and penalties for performance; 
(3) the strengths and weaknesses of the existing mecha-
nisms described in paragraph (2) and possible approaches to 
address the weaknesses; 
(4) mechanisms for measuring and maintaining public 
benefits resulting from publicly funded freight or passenger 
rail improvements, including improvements directed towards 
shared-use right-of-way by passenger and freight rail; 
(5) approaches to operations, capacity, and cost estimation 
modeling that— 
(A) allow for transparent decisionmaking; and 
(B) protect the proprietary interests of all parties; 
(6) liability requirements and arrangements, including— 
(A) whether to expand statutory liability limits to addi-
tional parties; 
(B) whether to revise the current statutory liability 
limits; 
(C) whether current insurance levels of passenger rail 
operators are adequate and whether to establish minimum 
insurance requirements for such passenger rail operators; 
and 
(D) whether to establish alternative insurance models, 
including other models administered by the Federal 
Government; 
(7) the effect on rail passenger services, operations, liability 
limits, and insurance levels of the assertion of sovereign immu-
nity by a State; and 
(8) other issues identified by the Secretary. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after the study under 
subsection (a) is complete, the Secretary shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 
and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 
House of Representatives a report that includes— 
(1) the results of the study; and 
(2) any recommendations for further action, including any 
legislative proposals consistent with such recommendations. 
(d) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary shall integrate, as appro-
priate, the recommendations submitted under subsection (c) into 
the financial assistance programs under subtitle V of title 49, United 
States Code, and section 502 of the Railroad Revitalization and 
Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 (45 U.S.C. 822).
H. R. 22—361 
SEC. 
11312. 
NORTHEAST 
CORRIDOR 
THROUGH-TICKETING 
AND 
PROCUREMENT EFFICIENCIES. 
(a) THROUGH-TICKETING STUDY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Northeast Corridor Commission 
established under section 24905(a) of title 49, United States 
Code (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Commission’’), in con-
sultation with Amtrak and the commuter rail passenger 
transportation providers along the Northeast Corridor, shall 
complete a study on the feasibility of and options for permitting 
through-ticketing between Amtrak service and commuter rail 
services on the Northeast Corridor. 
(2) CONTENTS.—In completing the study under paragraph 
(1), the Northeast Corridor Commission shall— 
(A) examine the current state of intercity and com-
muter rail ticketing technologies, policies, and other rel-
evant aspects on the Northeast Corridor; 
(B) consider and recommend technology, process, 
policy, or other options that would permit through-ticketing 
to allow intercity and commuter rail passengers to pur-
chase, in a single transaction, travel that utilizes Amtrak 
and connecting commuter rail services; 
(C) consider options to expand through-ticketing to 
include local transit services; 
(D) summarize costs, benefits, opportunities, and 
impediments to developing such through-ticketing options; 
and 
(E) develop a proposed methodology, including cost and 
schedule estimates, for carrying out a pilot program on 
through-ticketing on the Northeast Corridor. 
(3) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after the date the 
study under paragraph (1) is complete, the Commission shall 
submit to the Secretary, the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate, and the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representa-
tives a report that includes— 
(A) the results of the study; and 
(B) any recommendations for further action. 
(4) REVIEW.—Not later than 180 days after receipt of the 
report under paragraph (3), the Secretary shall review the 
report and recommend best practices in developing through 
ticketing for other areas outside of the Northeast Corridor. 
The Secretary shall transmit the best practices to the State- 
Supported Route Committee established under section 24712 
of title 49, United States Code. 
(b) JOINT PROCUREMENT STUDY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in cooperation with 
the Commission, Amtrak, and commuter rail transportation 
authorities on the Northeast Corridor, shall complete a study 
of the potential benefits resulting from Amtrak and such 
authorities undertaking select joint procurements for common 
materials, assets, and equipment when expending Federal 
funds for such joint procurements. 
(2) CONTENTS.—In completing the study under paragraph 
(1), the Secretary shall consider—