Report: FRA to focus on efficiency, deregulation in 2026

The Federal Railroad Administration in 2026 will be focused on streamlining agency programs and making rail movement more efficient through deregulation and policy revisions, the agency's deputy administrator said last week.

While awaiting congressional approval of the next surface transportation reauthorization legislation, anticipated in September, the FRA is working to improve the application process for its grant programs, according to an online report by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

Notably, the FRA has reduced the length of the application for Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grants to under 40 pages, FRA Deputy Administrator Drew Feeley said in a speech at the AASHTO 2026 Council on Rail Transportation winter legislative meeting held last week in Crystal City, Virginia. 

The FRA conducted 57 "deregulatory actions" last year and plans to continue that work in 2026. Many of the planned deregulations are not major, but will make processes easier and faster, he said. The administration will continue efforts to revise the National Environmental Policy Act, building on an interim ruling issued jointly with the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration in July 2025. Feeley hopes to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking by the end of the 2026 fiscal year, according to the article.

The administration also wants to broadly restructure Amtrak to make operations more efficient, without cutting jobs or routes, Feeley added.

"For us, it is going to be a busy year — especially if [the surface transportation] reauthorization gets done in September. We are continuing to align our agency with the goals of [U.S. Department of Transportation] Secretary [Sean] Duffy and President Trump," said Feeley in his speech. "I expect it is going to be an aggressive year ahead so we’ll be looking at what we want to build."