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The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recently released its FY2005 New Starts Report, which recommends to Congress funding allocations for new systems and line extensions.

More than $1.3 billion is available for project grants in FY05. The report recommends funding for 34 current, pending and proposed projects.

Projects with federal funding grant agreements and that are recommended to receive additional funds in FY05 include: Regional Transportation District of Denver’s Southeast Corrdior Light Rail, $80 million; Tri-County Metropolitan District of Oregon’s Interstate MAX light-rail extension, $23.5 million; Sound Transit’s Central Link initial segment, $80 million; Bay Area Rapid Transit’s San Fransisco Airport extension, $100 million; New Jersey Transit’s Hudson-Bergen light-rail line, $100 million; Chicago Transit Authority’s Douglas (Cermak) branch reconstruction, $85 million; and Minneapolis Hiawatha, $33 million.

FTA also proposed $295 million for projects that are expected to be ready for federal funding before FY05’s end. Authorized by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, the proposals have been rated as "recommended" or "highly recommended." Recommendations include:
• Las Vegas/Resort Corridor Fixed Guideway — a 2.3-mile elevated monorail line extension;
• New York/Long Island Rail Road East Side Access — a 3.5-mile, two-station project designed to increase capacity in an East River tunnel;
• Phoenix/Central Phoenix East Valley Light Rail Corridor — a 25-mile light-rail system connecting Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa, Ariz.; and
• Pittsburgh/North Shore Light Rail Connector — a 1.5-mile, four-station light-rail extension.

FTA also recommended $50 million for two projects that have demonstrated local financial support: The proposed 9.6-mile, 15-station Charlotte South Corridor Light Rail Project that would extend from Uptown Charlotte, S.C., to Interstate I-485; and the proposed 35.2-mile, 16-station Raleigh/Regional Rail System that would provide service from Durham to Raleigh, N.C.