FRA

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology Dr. Robert C. Hampshire

USDOT: $1.7MM for SBIR Program

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) on Feb. 7 announced that it is now accepting proposals for funding ranging from $150,000 to $200,000 from its Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) to “spur research and commercialization of innovative transportation technologies in select research areas,” including the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

Previous Partnership Program grants from the FRA have funded rehabilitation-type projects such as the Kalamazoo to Dearborn rail corridor in Michigan and the Piedmont Corridor in North Carolina.

FRA Boosts Funding, Extends Deadline for Partnership Program NOFO

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on Feb. 3 issued an extension and supplemental funding notice for the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program (Partnership Program) for projects not located on the Northeast Corridor. The total funding now available has nearly doubled.

ASLRRA: Navigating the Grant Process

New U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) tools, including RAISE webinars, are now available to help organizations navigate the grant process for railroad projects, according to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA).

  • News

Registration Now Open for FRA-Sponsored ‘Tracks to the Future’ Summer Youth Program

Registration is now open for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)-sponsored “Tracks to the Future” rail transportation and engineering summer youth program, which aims to teach students “why railroads remain the most energy-efficient transportation mode and what forms modern railroad track, equipment, and communications/control systems might take,” Michigan Technological University (MTU), which started the program, stated in a release.

Jim Blaze photo

Amtrak Petitions FRA to Retire Maryland Fixed Wayside Signals

Amtrak is seeking Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) approval to retire fixed wayside signals as automatic block points on the Mid-Atlantic Division’s Philadelphia-to-Washington, line (a Northeast Corridor branch), according to a notice in the Federal Register’s Jan. 17 edition.

Rendering Courtesy of Brightline

Transit Briefs: Brightline, Amtrak, PennDOT, SFMTA

Brightline reveals first look inside its Orlando Station. Also, Wisconsin mayors submit letter of interest to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to take part in a study that will look at building an Amtrak rail line connecting Green Bay and Milwaukee; construction of a new Coatsville, Pa., station, serving Amtrak’s Keystone Corridor and Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is now under way; and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority’s (SFMTA) Central Subway is now open seven days a week.

FRA Issues ‘Unintended Train Brake Release’ Safety Advisory

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on Dec. 29 issued a safety advisory to make the rail industry aware “of a recent issue encountered by a train crew that experienced an unintended brake release of a train’s automatic air brakes while stopped at a signal,” and to recommend four steps to address the unintended release of train air brakes.