FTA allocates $703 million in grants for rail-car replacement

The Federal Transit Administration has selected six projects in six states to receive a combined $703 million in federal funding to replace aging passenger-rail cars.

The grants are awarded through the Rail Vehicle Replacement Program, which makes funding available competitively to help fund capital projects to replace rail rolling stock. The FTA will provide a total of $1.5 billion in funding through 2026.

The funding amounts and the selected projects are:

• $200 million for the Chicago Transit Authority to buy up to 300 new electric propulsion rail cars;

• $196.3 million for Bi-State Development, which operates Metro Transit-St. Louis, to replace 48 MetroLink light-rail vehicles;

• $130 million for the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority to buy 60 new light-rail and heavy-rail vehicles to replace older vehicles that can operate on both systems, eliminating the need for two separate fleets;

• $71.7 million for the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority to replace 24 rail cars now in Tri-Rail commuter service;

• $60 million for the Utah Transit Authority to buy 20 light-rail vehicles; and

• $45.1 million for the Sacramento Regional Transit District to buy 16 light-rail vehicles.

Older rail cars contribute to service delays and increased costs, and lack digital signage, audio and accessibility features and other modern amenities, FTA officials said in a press release.

"One-third of our nation’s subway and commuter-rail vehicles are more than 25 years old," said FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez. "This program focuses on transit agencies that lack the funding they need to address overdue rail-car replacements."