
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), US Department of Transportation, has released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the remaining grants for the installation of Positive Train Control (PTC) systems on the US rail network.
The grants, from the “Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program”, are intended to assist rail companies and transport authorities in the installation of PTC equipment and systems on freight, intercity and commuter rail transportation networks. The balance of the original $250 million assigned to the programme is now $46,301,702.
The type of projects which are eligible to receive these grants include “back office systems; wayside, communications and onboard hardware equipment; software; equipment installation; spectrum; any component, testing and training for the implementation of PTC Systems; and interoperability”.
Ronald L. Batory, Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, said:
“This expedited solicitation will provide commuter and intercity railroads an additional opportunity to request grant funds for positive train control. By reissuing these funds, FRA is showing our continued commitment to work with railroads and suppliers in fully implementing PTC.”
The recipients of the first round of funding were announced in August 2018. Applications for this second NOFO must be received by the federal government before 5pm (EST), 12 October 2018.