[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 33 (Tuesday, February 19, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9162-9165]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-3018]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Solicitation of Applications and Notice of Funding Availability
for the Capital Assistance to States--Intercity Passenger Rail Service
Program
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of funding availability; solicitation for applications.
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SUMMARY: Under this Notice, the FRA encourages interested State
departments of transportation to submit applications for grants to fund
capital improvements and planning activities necessary to support
improved or new intercity passenger rail service.
DATES: FRA will begin accepting grant applications on Monday, March 18,
2008. Applications may be submitted until the earlier of Wednesday,
September 30, 2009, or the date on which all available funds will have
been committed under this program. The last-mentioned date will be
announced in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Applications must be submitted electronically to http://
www.grants.gov (``Grants.Gov''). Grants.Gov allows organizations
electronically to find and apply for competitive grant opportunities
from all Federal grant-making agencies. Any State wishing to submit an
application pursuant to this notice should immediately initiate the
process of registering with Grants.Gov at http://www.grants.gov. Please
confirm all Grants.Gov submissions by e-mailing paxrail@dot.gov.
For application materials that an applicant is unable to submit via
Grants.Gov (such as oversized engineering drawings), applicants may
submit an original and two (2) copies to the Federal Railroad
Administration at the following address: Federal Railroad
Administration, Attention: Peter Schwartz, Office of Railroad
Development (RDV-11), Mail Stop 20, 1200 New Jersey Avenue,
SE., Washington, DC 20590.
Due to delays caused by enhanced screening of mail delivered via
the U.S. Postal Service, applicants are encouraged to use other means
to assure timely receipt of materials.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Schwartz, Office of Railroad
Development (RDV-11), Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. Phone: (202) 493-6360; Fax: (202)
493-6333, or Desmond Brown, Grants Officer, Office of Acquisition and
Grants Services (RAD-30), Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. Phone: (202) 493-6152; Fax:
(202) 493-6171.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Capital Assistance to States--Intercity
Passenger Rail Service Program (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
(CFDA) Program Number 20.317) will be supported with $30,000,000 of
Federal funds provided to FRA as part of the Transportation, Housing
and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008
(Division K of Pub. L. 110-161 (December 26, 2007)). Funds provided
under this program may constitute no more than 50 percent of the total
cost of a selected project, with the remaining cost funded from other
sources. FRA anticipates awarding grants to multiple eligible
participants. Eligible projects include capital improvements (fixed
facilities and rolling stock) necessary to support improved or new
intercity passenger rail services, and planning activities that lead
directly to the development of a passenger rail corridor investment
plan. FRA anticipates that no further public notice will be made with
respect to selecting grantees under this program.
Purpose: In 2002, then-Secretary of Transportation, Norman Y.
Mineta, announced a number of principles to guide the future of
intercity passenger rail in the United States. One of these principles
was to ``establish a long-term partnership between States and the
Federal Government to support intercity passenger rail.'' In
furtherance of that principle, the President's Fiscal Year (FY) 2008
Budget proposed, and the Congress enacted, a program that would
increase the States' role in intercity passenger rail development by
establishing Federal-State partnerships for intercity passenger rail
investment along the model of those that currently exist for other
modes of transportation. This program makes $30,000,000 in Federal
funding available directly to States through grants to fund up to 50
percent of the cost of capital investments and planning activities
necessary to achieve tangible improvements to, or institute new,
intercity passenger rail service. Examples of such improvements include
(but are not strictly limited to) the purchase of passenger rolling
stock, the improvement of existing track to allow for higher maximum
speeds, the addition or lengthening of passing tracks to increase
capacity, the improvement of interlockings to increase capacity and
reliability, and the improvement of signaling systems to increase
capacity and maximum speeds, and improve safety.
Authority: The authority for the Program can be found in the
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act, 2008 (Division K of Pub. L. 110-161 (December 26,
2007)).
Funding: The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008, provides $30,000,000, and
directs FRA to award one or more grants covering up to 50 percent of
the cost of capital investments (and limited planning activities)
necessary to support improved intercity passenger rail services. The
funding provided under these grants will be made available to grantees
on a reimbursement basis. It is anticipated that the available funding
could support the projects proposed by multiple applicants. FRA may
choose to award a grant or grants within the available funds in any
amount. Funding made available through grants provided under this
program, together with funding from other sources that is committed by
a grantee as part of a grant agreement, must be sufficient to complete
the funded project and achieve the anticipated improvement to intercity
passenger rail service.
Schedule for Capital Grant Program: FRA will begin accepting grant
applications on Monday, March 18, 2008. Applications must be submitted
by Wednesday, September 30, 2009 or the date (to be announced) on which
all available funds will have been committed. Due to the limited
funding
[[Page 9163]]
available under this program: (1) Applicants are encouraged to submit
their applications at the earliest date practicable in order to
maximize the consideration of their application in the competition; and
(2) FRA may request that an applicant submit a revised application
reflecting a refined scope of work and budget. FRA anticipates making
the first award(s) pursuant to this notice during FY 2008.
Eligible Participants: The department of transportation of any
State (including, for the purposes of this program, the District of
Columbia) is eligible to apply for funding under this Notice, provided
that the applicant State includes intercity passenger rail service as
an integral part of statewide transportation planning as required under
section 135 of title 23, United States Code. If the proposed project is
in more than one State, a single State department of transportation
should apply on behalf of all the participating States.
Eligible Projects: Eligible projects must be for the primary
benefit of intercity passenger rail service. Only new projects will be
eligible; projects that have either commenced before the time of award
or have been completed will not be considered. Proposed projects must
be specifically included in the applicant State's Statewide
Transportation Improvement Plan at the time of application to be
eligible. Matching funding must be in the form of new financial
commitments toward the proposed project by the applicant and/or its
partners. Expenditures which occurred prior to the passage into law of
the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act, 2008, and expenditures on unrelated projects will
not be considered.
Eligible Planning Projects: Congress has allowed up to ten percent
($3,000,000) of the funding available under the program to be used for
planning activities that lead directly to the development of a
passenger rail corridor investment plan. Only proposed planning
projects that incorporate the methodologies set forth in FRA's
publication, entitled ``Railroad Corridor Transportation Plans: A
Guidance Manual,'' available at http://www.fra.dot.gov/Downloads/RRdev/
corridor_planning.pdf, will be given priority for consideration,
subject to the Selection Criteria outlined below.
Selection Criteria: The following will be considered to be positive
selection factors in evaluating applications for grants under this
program:
1. The ability of the proposed project to result directly in
appreciable benefits to intercity passenger rail services, including,
but not limited to, improved safety (particularly at railroad-highway
at-grade crossings), and improved intercity passenger rail reliability
(particularly involving a commitment by host freight railroads to an
enforceable on-time performance standard of 80 percent or greater).
2. The extent to which, following the completion of the proposed
project, the total, fully allocated operating expenses of the intercity
passenger rail service benefiting from the project are projected to be
offset by the total of (a) revenues attributable to the service, and
(b) committed state financial support, with little or no need for
Federal operating support.
3. The extent to which the proposed project involves a commitment
by States or railroads of financial resources to improve the safety of
highway/rail grade crossings over which the passenger service operates.
4. The relative emphasis of the proposed project on the
implementation of tangible capital improvements, rather than planning.
5. The ability of the proposed project to result in reduced and
reliable line-haul and/or total travel times for intercity rail
passengers, increased intercity passenger service frequencies, and/or
enhanced service quality for intercity train passengers.
6. The extent to which the project promotes seamless intermodal
connections between passenger rail service and other modes of
transportation, such as mass transit and commercial air service.
7. The extent to which the proposed project has stand-alone value
as a transportation improvement, and the extent to which the benefits
resulting from the project are not contingent upon future additional
Federal funding, or on additional capital investments other than those
to which the applicant or the applicant's partners have committed at
the time of the submission of the grant application.
8. For proposed grant-funded projects involving improvements or
alterations to, or use of, assets owned or used by other entities (such
as freight or commuter railroads), the extent to which the applicant
has completed written agreements (covering issues including, but not
limited to, project design, project implementation, and assurance and/
or enforcement of achievement of anticipated project benefits) between
the applicant and the other affected entities.
9. The existence and quality of a comprehensive, realistic
transportation plan (a) covering the rail line(s), facilities, and
services employed or affected by the benefiting project and (b)
reflecting the improved operation of the benefiting service.
10. The progress toward completing any environmental documentation
or clearance required for the proposed project under the National
Environmental Policy Act, the National Historic Preservation Act,
section 4(f) of the DOT Act, the Clean Water Act, or other applicable
Federal or State laws and regulations (federal environmental and
historic preservation review requirements will apply to all projects
funded through the Capital Assistance to States--Intercity Passenger
Rail Service Program).
11. The projected lapse in time between a grant award and the
initiation and completion of, and realization of the benefits resulting
from, the proposed project, and the veracity of such projections.
12. The extent to which the State commits funds or contributions as
a match for the funds potentially available under this program for the
project of a value in excess of 50 percent of the total cost of the
project, and the extent to which such funds are from non-Federal
sources. For purposes of this criterion, all monetary and other
resources of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) are
considered to be Federal sources.
13. The extent to which matching funds or contributions committed
by the State would be contributions from private or other non-State
entities, such as host freight railroads and local governments, and the
extent to which the commitment by the host freight railroad of
financial resources is commensurate with the benefit expected to their
operations.
Requirements for Grant Applications: The following points describe
the minimum content which will be required in grant applications. These
requirements may be satisfied through a narrative statement submitted
by the applicant, supported by spreadsheet documents, tables, drawings,
and other materials, as appropriate. Each grant application will:
1. Designate a point of contact for the applicant and provide their
name and contact information, including phone number, mailing address
and e-mail address.
2. Include a complete Standard Form 424, ``Application for Federal
Assistance'', and, as applicable, Standard Form 424B, ``Assurances--
Non-Construction Programs'' or Standard Form 424D, ``Assurances--
Construction Programs.'' Also include signed copies of FRA's Additional
Assurances and Certifications, available
[[Page 9164]]
at http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/admin/
assurancesandcertifications.pdf.
3. Identify and provide background information on the intercity
passenger rail services that the proposed project is intended primarily
to benefit. The required content under this heading will differ
according to the purpose of the project:
a. Grant applications related to projects that are targeted toward
improving existing intercity passenger rail services. Describe in
detail the current state of the benefiting services. Include
descriptions of the geographic markets served, the current operating
characteristics of the services (including timetables, consist
diagrams, and measures of service reliability), and the financial
characteristics of the service (including profit and loss statements
and descriptions of past and/or current state financial support for
operations and capital investments). Describe the current annual
passenger utilization of the service (train ridership; passenger-mile
volumes; and train boardings plus alightings at each station), any
existing contractual arrangements for the operation of the service, the
characteristics of other rail service (e.g. commuter and freight)
currently operating on the route, and the extent to which the
benefiting service falls within the geographic scope of one or more
Federally-designated high-speed rail corridors. In addition, describe
and compare the existing transportation facilities and service
offerings (including travel times, frequencies, prices or perceived
costs, reliability, and service quality) afforded by other public and
private modes of transportation, as well as intercity passenger rail,
in the geographic market area.
b. For grant applications related to projects that are targeted
toward the introduction of new intercity passenger rail service.
Describe the characteristics, including trip time and frequencies, of
any past intercity passenger rail service that has served the same
general geographic markets as the proposed service. Describe the
characteristics of other rail service (e.g. commuter and freight)
currently operating on the route. Describe the geographic market to be
served by the new service, the current level of completion and nature
of the planning for the new service, the extent to which the benefiting
service falls within the geographic scope of one or more Federally-
designated high-speed rail corridors, and the existing transportation
facilities and service offerings (including travel times, frequencies,
prices or perceived costs, reliability, and service quality) afforded
by other public and private modes of transportation in the geographic
market area.
4. Define the scope of work for the proposed project and the
anticipated project schedule. Describe the proposed project's physical
location (as applicable), and the extent to which the proposed project
consists of planning and/or implementation of capital improvements.
Include any drawings, plans, or schematics that have been prepared
relating to the proposed project.
5. Present a detailed budget for the proposed project. At a
minimum, the budget should separate total cost of the project into the
following categories: (1) Administrative and legal expenses; (2) Land,
structures, rights-of-way, and appraisals; (3) Relocation expenses and
payments; (4) Architectural and engineering fees; (5) Project
inspection fees; (6) Site work; (7) Demolition and removal; (8)
Construction labor, supervision, and management; (9) Materials, by type
(e.g. ties, rail, signals, switches, rolling stock; (10) Equipment;
(11) Miscellaneous; and (12) Contingencies. For each cost category,
specify (as defined under OMB Circular A-87, ``Cost Principles for
State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments'') the amount of costs that
are allowable for participation, and the amount of non-allowable costs.
Also specify the amount of allowable costs in each category that are
proposed to be funded under this program, and the amount to be funded
by non-program matching funds.
6. Describe the operating changes to the target intercity passenger
rail services that are anticipated to result from the project, and
assess the operational feasibility of the proposed project. The
required level of detail for the descriptions of anticipated operating
changes and the feasibility assessment will depend upon the nature of
the project, as follows:
a. Projects intended to improve the reliability of existing
intercity passenger rail services, but which are not intended to affect
the trip times, service frequencies, or passenger capacity of the
benefiting services. Describe, in quantitative terms, the delays that
would be incurred by the benefiting intercity passenger rail service
were the proposed project not to be completed. Describe, in
quantitative terms, the delays that would be avoided as a result of the
completion of the proposed project. Address proposed means for ensuring
and/or enforcing that the anticipated reliability improvements will be
realized following the completion of the proposed project.
b. Projects, particularly those involving the purchase of rolling
stock, intended to increase capacity on existing intercity passenger
rail services, but which are not intended to affect the trip times or
service frequencies of the benefiting services. Describe evidence of
current under-capacity of the benefiting services, and the extent to
which such under-capacity conditions are projected to change in the
future. Include results of modeling performed using train performance
calculators demonstrating that current schedules may be maintained
following the introduction of the proposed new equipment. Address the
adequacy of existing infrastructure (e.g. station platforms,
maintenance facilities, passing tracks, and wyes) to accommodate any
proposed increased consist lengths. Present evidence that the proposed
new equipment meets the clearance requirements of the infrastructure
over which it is intended to operate, or provide details of what
infrastructure modifications will be required to achieve the physical
clearances required for the operation of the proposed new equipment.
Present evidence that existing or anticipated future station access
limitations (e.g. lack of transit access, shortage of parking), will
not create a capacity constraint that would limit the utility of
additional on-train capacity.
c. Projects which, either by design or otherwise as a direct
consequence thereof, would affect trip times and frequencies of
existing intercity passenger rail services, or which are related to the
introduction of new intercity passenger rail service. Describe the
operating plan intended for the benefiting service following completion
of the grant-funded project. Include operating details, such as
proposed timetables, equipment consists, track charts of the proposed
route, descriptions of maintenance of equipment and maintenance of way
arrangements, station access plans, and quantitative projections of
operating reliability. Include the outputs, such as stringline (time
and distance) diagrams, of train performance calculator modeling and
dispatching modeling undertaken as part of the preparation of the
proposed operating plan. These outputs shall include all other rail
services--intercity, freight, and commuter--that will share facilities
with, or otherwise impact or be impacted by, the services that will
benefit from the improvements proposed in the application. Such
coverage of other services shall address both current conditions and
projected
[[Page 9165]]
service levels in the time horizon year adopted in the application.
Address the operating feasibility of the proposed service, and
summarize any identified risks associated with the operating plan.
Describe any contractual arrangements that will be in place for the
operation of the service. Include a description of the methodology
employed in developing the operating plan. Operating plans developed in
accordance with FRA's publication, entitled ``Railroad Corridor
Transportation Plans: A Guidance Manual,'' available at http://
www.fra.dot.gov/Downloads/RRdev/corridor_planning.pdf, will be
considered to fulfill these requirements. Address proposed means for
ensuring and/or enforcing that the anticipated operating plan will be
implemented with a high degree of reliability following the completion
of the proposed project.
7. Describe any additional planning activities or capital
improvements, beyond those project elements included in the grant
proposal, that would be required in order to realize the operating
benefits intended to be generated by the proposed project. Indicate the
extent to which funding from other sources has been committed to and/or
work has commenced on these additional requirements.
8. Describe proposed project implementation and project management
provisions. Include descriptions of expected arrangements for project
contracting, contract oversight, change-order management, risk
management, and conformance to Federal requirements for project
progress reporting.
9. Present a financial plan reflecting the anticipated financial
performance of the benefiting service following completion of the
grant-funded project. Include a detailed projected profit and loss
statement, along with forecasts for revenues, ridership, passenger-
miles, and expenses generated by the proposed service. Demonstrate the
extent to which the benefiting service will not require Federal
financial assistance to support its operation following the completion
of the grant-funded project.
10. Describe the benefits forecasted to result from the proposed
project, specifically as they relate to improvements in safety
(particularly at railroad-highway grade crossings) and increases in
intercity passenger rail reliability (particularly to the extent the
proposed project would result in a commitment by host freight railroads
to an enforceable on-time performance standard of 80 percent or
greater).
11. Describe the extent to which the proposed project will result
in reduced line-haul and/or total travel times for intercity rail
passengers, increased intercity passenger service frequencies, and/or
enhanced service quality for intercity train passengers.
12. Describe the source(s) and amount(s) of matching funding to be
committed to the project by the applicant.
13. Describe the anticipated ownership arrangement for the project
following completion.
14. Describe any written agreements (or progress in negotiations)
between the applicant and other entities regarding proposed grant-
funded projects involving improvements or alterations to, or use of,
assets owned or used by other entities.
15. Describe progress toward completing any environmental
documentation or clearance required for the proposed project under the
National Environmental Policy Act, the National Historic Preservation
Act, section 4(f) of the DOT Act, the Clean Water Act, or other
applicable Federal or State laws.
16. Describe the degree to which intercity passenger rail is
included as an integral part of the applicant State's statewide
transportation planning, as required under section 135 of title 23,
United States Code, and present evidence that the specific proposed
project is included or mentioned in the applicant State's Statewide
Transportation Improvement Plan.
Format: Excluding spreadsheets, drawings, and tables, the narrative
statement for grant applications may not exceed fifty pages in length.
With the exclusion of oversized engineering drawings (which may be
submitted in hard copy to the FRA at the address above), all
application materials should be submitted as attachments through
Grants.Gov.
Spreadsheets consisting of budget or financial information should
be submitted via Grants.Gov as Microsoft Excel (or compatible)
documents.
Issued in Washington, DC, on February 12, 2008.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Development.
[FR Doc. E8-3018 Filed 2-15-08; 8:45 am]
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