FRA: 77 applications submitted for HSR funds

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood Monday said the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has received 77 applications from 25 states for the most recent round of High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) grant funding. The requests total more than $8.5 billion, chasing $2.345 billion in funding appropriated from the fiscal year 2010 budget.

DOT and FRA noted the $2.3 billion is “in addition to the $8 billion appropriated in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) as a down payment for the HSIPR program.” Recipients will be announced this fall.

“The response to our call to transform America’s transportation landscape has been tremendous and shows the country is ready for high speed rail,” said LaHood (pictured at left). “We have received strong bipartisan support for President Obama’s bold initiative that will enhance regional mobility, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, ease highway and airport congestion, and reduce our carbon footprint.”

FRA said 20 applications from 10 states seek a total of $7.8 billion for HSR corridor development programs. Another 57 applications from 18 states totaling $700 million were submitted “for smaller, individual projects within rail corridors that are ready to begin construction.”

DOT and FRA said they “will evaluate the applications to identify the projects that will deliver the greatest public benefits and give American taxpayers the highest return on their investment.”

“These historic investments will allow states to take the next step in making their high speed intercity passenger rail development plans a reality,” said FRA Administrator Joseph C. Szabo (pictured at right). “The states and FRA have been working hard to establish a solid foundation for a long-term program that will reshape our transportation system.”