Federal Railroad Administrator head Amit Bose said this week that intercity passenger rail corridor development funding will most likely be awarded to entities that are committed to supporting the service.
The FRA will be disbursing $44 billion for corridor development that was part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act adopted last year.
Bose spoke in Indianapolis this week to a meeting of the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission.
He told meeting attendees that “the corridor development programs must be presented by committed state and local stakeholders as well as regional bodies like this one [MIPRC], so your role as a coordinating entity is as important as ever.”
By that Bose meant an entity wanting to see the development of a rail corridor must be willing to provide financial and political support.
Also speaking at the meeting, Wynne Davis, FRA deputy director of the agency’s Outreach office, who said the initial level of federal funding may be modest initially but will grow as corridors advance through the corridor development program.
A first step in that process is an expression of interest in developing one or more passenger rail corridors.
That expression of interest is non-binding but must be followed up with financial and political commitments. That will mean state and local funding to match federal grants.
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