The reissued call for applications omits equity and climate requirements and prioritizes “family-friendly” project proposals.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) reopened applications for $5 billion in passenger rail safety grants after withdrawing a grant notice issued in 2024 earlier this month.
As Dan Zukowski explains in Smart Cities Dive, the agency reissued the notice with changes that remove, in the worlds of Transportation Secretary Duffy, “radical Biden-Buttigieg DEI and green grant requirements” and add a new emphasis on “family-friendly” projects.
“The notice emphasized the administration’s pro-family agenda, encouraging applicants to include projects such as ‘adding new family restrooms, creating children’s play areas, and other projects improving overall travel for families in U.S. intercity passenger rail stations,’” Zukowski explains.
The FRA will evaluate projects based on projected benefits such as improved travel time and reliability, better integration with other transportation modes, and economic and employment benefits around stations. “The FRA also looks to improve safety at roadway grade crossings, where it says more than 200 fatalities occur each year. However, these projects are only eligible if they also improve intercity passenger rail service.”
FULL STORY: FRA opens applications for $5B in passenger rail safety grants
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