[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 44 (Friday, March 5, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10505-10506]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-5023]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Notice of Funds Availability for the Next Generation High-Speed 
Rail Program: Revenue Service Demonstration of Compliant Diesel 
Multiple Unit (DMU) Self-Propelled Passenger Cars

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Under this Notice, the FRA encourages interested parties to 
submit by April 23, 2004, a Statement of Interest in receiving a grant 
to support a demonstration in daily revenue commuter or intercity 
passenger service, beginning in calendar year 2004, of Diesel Multiple 
Unit (DMU) self-propelled passenger rail cars which comply with all 
current Federal passenger car safety standards (``Compliant DMU''). The 
purpose of the demonstration is to determine the current availability 
of Compliant DMU technology and the suitability of this equipment for 
regularly scheduled revenue service in the U.S. The subject Compliant 
DMU must meet all of the current requirements of 49 CFR part 238, as 
amended; compliance via ``grandfathering'' is not acceptable for the 
purposes of this announcement.

DATES: All submissions of Statements of Interest must be received in 
FRA's offices by close of business Thursday, April 23, 2004. The 
deadline for the submission of applications will be noted in the 
solicitation from FRA to prospective grantees as a result of the 
evaluation of the Statements of Interest.

ADDRESSES: Applicants must submit an original and six (6) copies to the 
Federal Railroad Administration at one of the following addresses:
    Postal address (note correct ZIP Code): Federal Railroad 
Administration, Attention: Robert L. Carpenter, Office of Procurement 
Services (RAD-30), Mail Stop 50, 1120 Vermont Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20590.
    FedEx/courier address (note correct ZIP Code): Federal Railroad 
Administration, Attention: Robert L. Carpenter, Office of Procurement 
Services (RAD-30), Room  6126, 1120 Vermont Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20005.
    Due to delays caused by enhanced screening of mail delivered via 
the U.S. Postal Service, applicants are encouraged to use other means 
to assure timely receipt of materials.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Sill, Program Manager, Office of 
Railroad Development (RDV-11), Federal Railroad Administration, 1120 
Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20590. Phone: (202) 493-6348; Fax: 
(202) 493-6330, or Robert Carpenter, Grants Officer, Office of 
Acquisition and Grants Services (RAD-30), Federal Railroad 
Administration, 1120 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20590. Phone: 
(202) 493-6153; Fax: (202) 493-6171.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The demonstration will be supported with up 
to $4,970,500 of Federal funds provided to FRA's Next Generation High-
Speed Rail Program, as part of the Transportation, Treasury, and 
Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004 (included as Division F 
of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 (Pub. L. 108-199 (January 
23, 2004)). The Federal funds must be matched on a dollar-for-dollar 
basis from non-Federal sources. FRA anticipates soliciting one or two 
grant applications and awarding one or two grants for the demonstration 
to eligible participants, with the intent of beginning demonstration 
during calendar year 2004. The funds made available under this grant 
will be available for activities related to establishing compliance of 
the DMU design with existing Federal passenger safety standards (49 CFR 
part 238, as amended), for the acquisition of DMUs through a 
conventional competitive procurement process, and for service 
facilities necessary for revenue service demonstration. The grantee 
will be responsible for all other expenses of the demonstration, 
including the cost of passenger facilities and any net operating 
expenses. FRA anticipates that no further public notice will be made 
with respect to selecting applicants for this demonstration.
    Purpose: There is substantial interest in the expanded use of 
passenger rail service to help address congestion in other modes of 
transportation and/or to provide for additional alternatives to meet 
current and future mobility needs. Transportation planners and decision 
makers have expressed an interest in alternatives to locomotive hauled 
trains, which are currently the most prevalent form of passenger rail 
transportation in areas where electric operation is not available. 
Historically, DMUs were available for this purpose, but none has 
entered service domestically since FRA issued the Passenger Equipment 
Safety Standards Final Rule on May 12, 1999. Indeed, no DMUs had been 
built new in the U.S. for decades before the issuance of that rule. The 
purpose of the demonstration is to determine whether the current state 
of railroad technology development offers the availability, in the very 
near term, of a DMU self-propelled passenger car that meets current 
Federal passenger car safety standards found at 49 CFR part 238, as 
amended. If such technology is available, the demonstration will 
develop technology-specific cost, maintenance, reliability and 
operating data to help transportation planners and decision makers 
determine whether a Compliant DMU should be considered as an option for 
rail-based transportation. The equipment must meet all of the current 
requirements of 49 CFR part 238, as amended; compliance via 
``grandfathering'' is not acceptable for the purposes of this 
announcement.

    Authority: The authority for the Program can be found in title 
49, United States Code, section 26102 and in the Transportation, 
Treasury, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004 
(included as Division F of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 
(Pub. L. 108-199 (January 23, 2004)). The Secretary of 
Transportation's responsibilities under this

[[Page 10506]]

program have been delegated to the Federal Railroad Administration.

    Funding: The Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies 
Appropriations Act, 2004 provides $4,970,000 and directs FRA to award 
one or more grants to demonstrate Compliant DMU vehicles. It is 
anticipated that the available funding will support one or two 
demonstrations. If two grants are awarded, FRA may choose not to award 
the grants in equal amounts. Additional funding for this or related 
work may be available in subsequent fiscal years.
    Schedule for Demonstration Program: As directed by the Congress, 
FRA anticipates beginning demonstration in calendar 2004. It is 
anticipated that evaluation of the demonstration operation will 
continue for up to two years beyond the initial funding year. FRA 
anticipates that the eligible participant(s) will, where necessary, 
contract or otherwise enter into partnerships with developers and 
manufacturers of Compliant DMUs to accomplish the demonstration.
    Eligible Participants: Any United States public transportation 
agency or combination of such agencies is eligible to apply for funding 
under this Notice. For state applicants, if the proposed demonstration 
territory is in more than one state, a single state agency should apply 
on behalf of all of the participating states.
    Eligible Technology Demonstrations: Eligible projects must 
demonstrate a Compliant DMU vehicle in daily revenue passenger service 
beginning during calendar year 2004.
    Requirements for Statements of Interest: The following points 
describe minimum content which will be required in Statements of 
Interest. Each Statement of Interest will:
    1. Describe the proposed demonstration in detail, including the 
location and transportation service to be provided, the anticipated 
start date and duration of the demonstration, anticipated schedules, 
passenger service facilities to be employed, anticipated passenger 
utilization of the demonstration service, and how necessary maintenance 
and support operations will be conducted. Describe the scope of the 
demonstration proposed with Federal funding in the amount of $4,970,500 
and with Federal funding in the amount of $2,485,250. Note that FRA may 
choose to award grants for any amount up to and including $4,970,500.
    2. Describe the types of DMU technology that the public agency is 
considering and how the Compliant DMU used in the proposed 
demonstration will be selected.
    3. Describe the rail line on which the proposed demonstration will 
be conducted, including any discussions the public agency has had with 
the owner of the rail line in connection with the proposed 
demonstration.
    4. Describe the traffic types (including ownership of trains), 
volumes, and speeds presently involved in operation on the 
demonstration track segment(s), the planned Compliant DMU demonstration 
service volumes and speeds, and the estimated potential corridor 
service volumes and speeds.
    5. Specify the quantities and ownerships of operating vehicles 
anticipated to be utilized to accomplish the demonstration.
    6. Show how the demonstration system initially will operate in 
relation to existing service, both passenger and freight.
    7. Show the estimated total cost and time for accomplishing each 
task for implementing the demonstration, including estimates broken 
out, at a minimum, into the following categories: demonstration 
planning and installation, Compliant DMU equipment acquisition, and 
operating and maintenance schedules and costs. Specify sources of 
proposed funding, clearly indicating sources for the required non-
Federal dollar-for-dollar cash match.
    8. Specify which organizations will supply and install key 
components of the demonstration system and, to the extent available, 
provide letters of commitment supporting the proposed activities, 
schedules, and non-Federal cost sharing. Letters of support from the 
railroad whose tracks and facilities are to be used for the 
demonstration should be included.
    9. Discuss the systematic operational recording, monitoring, 
analysis, and reporting procedures to be followed during the 
demonstration.
    10. Discuss plans for training and familiarization of operating and 
maintenance personnel for the demonstration system.
    Format: Statements of Interest may not exceed twenty-five pages in 
length.
    Selection Criteria: The following will be considered to be positive 
selection factors in evaluating Statements of Interest for this 
demonstration:
    1. The timeliness of the initiation of the demonstration and the 
availability of the Compliant DMU technology to be demonstrated. 
Applicants must be able to begin revenue service during calendar year 
2004.
    2. The extent to which the demonstration will assist in 
understanding the state-of-the-art in Compliant DMU technology in areas 
of desired advancement, including safety, reliability, efficiency, 
operational flexibility, maintainability, capital costs and/or 
operating costs of the corridor operation, as a whole, as well as of 
the Compliant DMU equipment itself.
    3. The extent to which the demonstration will involve an innovative 
Compliant DMU technology available for commercial development, as 
opposed to modification of equipment previously in service but 
currently not produced.
    4. The technological risk associated with successfully 
demonstrating Compliant DMU technology on the schedule proposed.
    5. The compliance of the technology with other Federal 
requirements, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and 
relevant diesel emission standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency.
    6. The contribution the demonstration might have to the development 
or expansion of the domestic passenger rail car manufacturing industry.
    7. The extent to which the demonstration will have ongoing 
transportation benefits after the end of the scheduled demonstration.
    8. The ability of the Compliant DMU technology to be readily and 
economically expanded to respond to increased speed, volume, and 
complexity of traffic.
    9. The extent of non-Federal contributions to the demonstration.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on March 1, 2004.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Development.
[FR Doc. 04-5023 Filed 3-4-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P