Funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this popular grant program helps communities big and small invest in rail safety and stronger supply chains and supports regional short-line railroads.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) that makes available over $2.4 billion in Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program funding. CRISI grants advanced projects that modernize America’s freight and intercity passenger rail infrastructure, allowing people and goods to move with greater safety, efficiency, and reliability. The opportunity announced today includes funding for Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024 provided by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and builds on more than $1.4 billion in CRISI grant selections announced last year.
"Today we're opening the biggest funding round in history for the program that modernizes freight and intercity passenger rail infrastructure,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "This funding will make it safer, more affordable, more sustainable, and more efficient for people and goods to move by rail across the country."
Last year, FRA selected 70 projects in 35 states and Washington, D.C., for CRISI Program funding, and those projects ranged from bridge, track, and grade crossing improvements to investments in restoring and expanding intercity passenger rail corridors. CRISI grants are also a major source of funding for rural communities and short line railroads, many of which are small businesses whose operations bolster local economies and are crucial for supply chain fluidity. By funding projects such as trespass prevention efforts and the rehabilitation or procurement of zero- or low-emissions locomotives, among other initiatives, the CRISI Program directly benefits short line railroads’ operations and local communities' quality of life. In addition, CRISI grants can support important workforce development and training programs to retain current employees and attract new individuals to the rail industry. Taken together, these benefits lead to safer communities, cleaner transportation, faster and more reliable deliveries of goods, and more jobs and workforce development opportunities.
“Every year, FRA sees extraordinarily high demand for CRISI grant funds, which help railroads, states, and local communities meet vital needs for safety and economic development and growth,” said FRA Administrator Amit Bose. “In addition, by funding freight and passenger rail transportation, CRISI-funded projects improve the fluidity of the national rail network and make it easier and safer for goods and people to move by rail across the country.”
In addition to investing historic levels of funding in new infrastructure to make rail safer nationwide, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken key steps to improve rail safety since President Biden took office, and the USDOT continues to use the full range of its authority to ensure the safety of people who live near, work on, or travel along America’s rail lines. Investments in infrastructure and the rail workforce through FRA’s railroad development programs are a major part of this national effort to create a modern transportation network that will keep Americans safe and make the U.S. competitive in the 21st century.
