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4/4/2016
The Federal Railroad Administration is accepting applications for $25 million in competitive grant funds available to railroad, suppliers, and state and local governments for positive train control (PTC) projects.
Applications will be accepted until May 19. The FRA will give preference to projects that would provide the greatest level of public safety benefits, FRA officials said in a press release.
"These funds will help us get closer to implementing PTC, and I encourage applications that can make these limited dollars go as far as possible," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
The funding is part of the 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act that funds the U.S. Department of Transportation. As part of President Barack Obama's fiscal-year 2017 budget proposal, the FRA requested $1.25 billion to help commuter railroads and short lines with PTC implementation.
"Any congressional funding and investment to make positive train control active on our nation's railroad network is a worthwhile investment," said FRA Administrator Sarah Feinberg. "But it will take even more significant funding to achieve this important, life-saving goal. We look forward to working with Congress to find these resources and encourage railroads to submit strong applications."
Congress in 2008 mandated railroads to implement PTC by December 2015. Late last year, Congress extended the deadline to at least Dec. 31, 2018. The FRA has posted on its website a list of when railroads expect to fully implement PTC.