FRA issues $5B grant notice, redirects $2.4B of California high-speed rail funding

The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for $5 billion in funding through the National Railroad Partnership Program for projects designed to enhance safety, including at grade crossings, on intercity passenger rail networks, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced yesterday.

Grant applications are due Jan. 7, 2026, and can be applied for via this link. 

Included in the $5 billion is $2.4 billion in funding that the FRA de-obligated from California's high-speed rail project, which President Donald Trump has described as a "boondoggle." The funds will be reinvested into critical rail infrastructure upgrades and rail safety projects, USDOT officials said in a press release.

The FRA is reissuing the NOFO for fiscal-year 2024 and adding funding for the FY2025 National Railroad Partnership Program. The FY2024 NOFO originally was published during President Biden's administration in September 2024 under the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program.

This reissued NOFO includes several changes made by the Trump administration, including:

• the repeal of diversity, equity and inclusion requirements;

• an emphasis on grade crossing safety projects within the program; and

• support for projects that align with the Trump administration’s focus on ensuring a more seamless travel experience for families, such as adding mothers’ rooms, expanding waiting areas, adding new family restrooms, creating children’s play areas and other projects improving overall travel for families in U.S. intercity passenger-rail stations.

Eligible applicants include a state, group of states or political subdivision of a state; a public agency; an interstate compact; a public agency or publicly chartered authority; a federally recognized Indian tribe; Amtrak; and combinations of those entities.