[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 76 (Friday, April 18, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 21170]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-8424]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Notice of Clarification of 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: Clarification regarding solicitation for applications and 
notice of funding availability.

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SUMMARY: On February 19, 2008, FRA published a Solicitation of 
Applications and Notice of Funding Availability for the Capital 
Assistance to States--Intercity Passenger Rail Service Program. This 
notice provides clarifying information related to elements of the 
February 19, 2008 notice.

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) 
493-6330.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Following publication of the notice, FRA 
received a number of inquires from interested States seeking additional 
clarification from the agency with respect to some of the items 
included in the notice. In order to assist applicants, FRA is issuing 
this supplemental notice to provide additional clarification on three 
items of interest. Accordingly, the sections of the February 19, 2008 
notice labeled ``Eligible Projects'' and ``Eligible Planning Projects'' 
are amended to read as follows.
    Eligible Projects: Eligible projects must be intended to result in 
significant benefits to intercity passenger rail service. Projects 
which meet this criterion, but for which the majority of benefits, as 
calculated by one or more measures of transportation production, may be 
projected to accrue to commuter or freight rail service, may be 
considered for funding subject to the reasonableness of the terms of 
the cost sharing arrangement between the parties affected by the 
proposed improvements. Only new projects will be eligible; projects for 
which construction has commenced before the date of the application 
will not be considered. Pre-award costs, dating from no earlier than 
the date of application, may be considered for funding, although an 
applicant will bear all risk for such costs in the event no award is 
made. 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 date of 
application 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 which lead to (1) a programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement for the purpose of route selection, and/or (2) a corridor 
transportation plan prepared in accordance with 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 considered for funding, 
subject to the Selection Criteria outlined below.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 11, 2008.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Development.
[FR Doc. E8-8424 Filed 4-17-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P