FY14 Grant Application Solicitation

Looking for additional information, forms, and templates regarding FRA’s Railroad Safety Technology Grants for Positive Train Control?  Please follow this link https://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P00931.

Please click here to access the FY14 Grant Application Solicitation Webinar presented on September 3^rd

Here is a list of questions and answers from the Webinar as well as answers to other common questions received during the application period.

Welcome to FRA’s FY14 Grant Application Solicitation homepage. The FRA recently issued a Notice of Funding Availability to solicit applications for eligible intercity passenger rail grade crossing improvement projects, positive train control (PTC) implementation projects, and Passenger Rail Corridor Investment Plan (PRCIP) projects.  At least $36 million is available for awards under this solicitation.  This website is intended to provide applicants with required application materials and additional guidance on topics referenced in the NOFA.  

Applications for funding under this solicitation are due no later than 5:00 p.m. EDT, September 15, 2014, and must be submitted via Grants.gov.

The FRA recommends applicants read the NOFA in its entirety prior to preparing application materials.  The NOFA specifies several administrative prerequisites that applicants must comply with in order to submit an application.  Additionally, the NOFA specifies application requirements that may differ depending on the type of project and funding sought.

The FY14 NOFA can be downloaded here: FY14 Grant NOFA

Note:  In addition to the funding opportunities described in the FY14 Grant NOFA, the FRA is soliciting statements of interest from groups of states that wish to participate in an FRA-led planning process for multi-state passenger rail networks. The FRA will be releasing additional information on this FRA-led planning process in the near future. 

Application Checklist

The following checklist outlines the application materials required to be submitted for each of the three eligible project types.  The instructions for completing the Project Narrative is contained in the NOFA; the required forms and additional instructions for all other application materials can be downloaded by clicking each of the corresponding required documents below.  Applicants must submit all required documents for the respective project type.

 Additional Resources for Applicants

Applicants are encouraged to review the following resource documents (hyperlinked below), which are intended to provide (1) additional instructions to assist in the preparation of applications, and (2) an overview of certain FRA grant administration requirements (should an application be selected for award).

• Award Administration and Grant Conditions (all applicants) – This document provides background information on FRA’s post-award reporting, audit, monitoring, and project closeout procedures and requirements.  This document also provides information regarding the participation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in FRA’s financial assistance programs.

• National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Compliance (all applicants) – This document provides a description of FRA’s standard grant provisions related to compliance with NEPA.  Applicants and grantees under FRA’s financial assistance programs are encouraged to contact FRA and obtain preliminary direction regarding the appropriate NEPA class of action and required environmental documentation.  Generally, projects will be ineligible to receive funding if they have begun construction activities prior to the applicant/grantee receiving written approval from FRA that all environmental and historical analyses have been completed.

• TIGER Benefit-Cost Analysis Resource Guide (all applicants) – This resource guide provides recommended values for applicants to use in monetizing benefits and costs of proposed projects.  The FRA intends to award funds to projects that achieve the maximum public benefits possible.  Analysis provided by applicants that quantifies the monetary value (whenever possible) of the anticipated public benefits of the proposed project will be particularly relevant to the FRA in evaluating applications.  This resource guide was initially developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation for use in the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Program.  Only Sections 1 and 2 of the resource guide are applicable to the FRA FY14 Grant Application Solicitation – to avoid confusion, Section 3 (which is referenced on the first page) has been removed from the document.

• Passenger Rail Corridor Investment Plan Overview (PRCIP applicants only) – This document provides an overview of the service development planning and environmental analyses required to complete a Passenger Rail Corridor Investment Plan.

• PTC Research and Development Focus Areas (PTC applicants only) – This document provides additional information on the three PTC issues identified in the NOFA for which FRA is particularly interested in advancing research and development:  cybersecurity and wireless communications security, back-office reliability, and deployment of Interoperable Train Control Messaging (ITCM/ITCSM) shared networks for short lines and commuter railroads.  As stated in the NOFA, these topics represent suggested areas of interest by FRA, and any otherwise eligible applications meeting the criteria contained in the NOFA will be evaluated and considered for award.

• GradeDec Overview (grade crossing applicants only) – This link connects to FRA’s GradeDec website, where applicants can learn more about FRA’s highway-rail grade crossing investment analysis tool.  As stated in the NOFA, FRA intends to analyze all grade crossing applications in GradeDec to support the evaluation process.

For any questions or clarification related to FRA’s FY14 Grant Application Solicitation, please contact:

Mary Ann McNamara
Office of Program Delivery
Federal Railroad Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE.
Mail Stop 20
Washington, DC 20590
Email: maryann.mcnamara@dot.gov
Phone: (202) 493-6393 Fax: (202) 493-6333