The U.S. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced that it has awarded USD 900,000 to three entities through the Interstate Rail Compacts (IRC) Grant Programme.
Taken together, the rail networks being advanced through the inaugural round of IRC grants will improve passenger rail service for large swaths of the Midwest, South, and Southeast, including many states and communities that have never seen passenger rail service or that have had previous services discontinued for years.
“FRA is supporting all elements needed for new passenger rail services, from planning and development to the implementation of service. The Interstate Rail Compacts Grant Program fills a vital need by providing entities implementing interstate rail compacts with the resources to build up an organizational and human infrastructure for the fluid operation of new services that will meet the needs of local communities,” FRA Administrator Amit Bose said.
IRCs are agreements or compacts passed into law by two or more states that support and facilitate the development of multi-state and regional intercity passenger rail services. Member states of an IRC can implement the agreement through a commission that is empowered to carry out the necessary planning, administration, and coordination needed to run a passenger rail service. This process allows entities in an IRC to streamline their activities and advance a unified approach to solving regional passenger rail issues.
Southern Rail Commission (SRC), in Louisiana, obtained USD 400,000 for the SRC Rail-Ready project to build capacity and expand rail passenger services across the American South. The proposed grant involves activities such as administration, promotion of intercity passenger rail operations, operations coordination, and preparation of competitive federal grant programme applications. The project will help the SRC build its organizational capacity to continue to support the expansion of intercity passenger rail service in the Southeast region. The SRC will provide a 50 percent non-federal match.
Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission (MIPRC) received USD 300,000 for MIPRC Expansion project. The proposed grant involves activities such as administration, promotion of intercity passenger rail operations, and preparation of competitive federal grant programme applications. The project will help MIPRC increase efforts to advocate for and support the development and implementation of a robust passenger rail network in the Midwest region. MIPRC will provide a 50 percent non-federal match.
A USD 200,000 grant was delivered in North Carolina for VA-NC Compact Administration & Southeast Rail Network Analysis project. The proposed grant involves administration and system planning activities to complete the Southeast Rail Network Analysis. The project will help advance efforts to improve the fluidity of the Southeast rail network to benefit both passenger and freight rail. The North Carolina DOT and Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, entities that operate the VA-NC HSR Compact, will contribute funds totaling a 50 percent non-federal match.
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