Intercity passenger rail grants deadline extended by FRA

Intercity passenger rail grants just got a little more runway after the Federal Railroad Administration extended the application deadline for a $5 billion grant opportunity aimed at projects outside the Northeast Corridor. Applications are now due Feb. 6, 2026. A separate program continues to provide funding for the Northeast Corridor.

Intercity passenger rail grants and what the funding supports

Authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the program is set up to fund new intercity passenger rail service, upgrades to existing service, and projects that repair equipment and infrastructure. The $5 billion grant opportunity is focused on service outside the Northeast Corridor, while a different program covers the NEC.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Previous awards have backed projects such as increasing capacity at Chicago Union Station, working toward a new passenger rail route between Raleigh, North Carolina, and Richmond, Virginia, and supporting the Brightline West high-speed rail system planned between Las Vegas and Southern California, as previously covered by Railway Supply.

FY 2024 funding opportunity reissued with revised priorities

To comply with policy changes under the Trump administration, the fiscal year 2024 funding opportunity issued in September 2024 was rescinded and later reissued Sept. 22, 2025. The reissue includes $2.4 billion in funding that had previously been awarded to the California high-speed rail project between San Francisco and Los Angeles, which the FRA canceled in July.

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The revised grant opportunity drops diversity, equity and inclusion requirements. It also puts greater emphasis on grade-crossing safety projects and supports work that provides train station amenities for mothers and children.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy addressed the shift in a statement, saying, “Instead of wasting dollars on [California] Governor Newsom’s high-speed rail boondogle, these targeted investments will improve the lives of rail passengers, local drivers, and pedestrians.”

Potential projects and who can apply

States and cities are considering potentially eligible proposals, including new passenger rail corridors connecting Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; Boston and Albany, New York; and Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Eligible recipients include states, a group of states or interstate compacts; Washington, D.C.; state-created public agencies; and Amtrak. More information is available from an Oct. 16, 2025, FRA webinar.

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