[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 93 (Friday, May 13, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29432-29437]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-10250]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA-2022-0031]
Establishment of the Corridor Identification and Development
Program
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of establishment; request for expressions of interest.
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SUMMARY: On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed into law the
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law (BIL), which requires the Secretary of
Transportation (Secretary) to establish a Corridor Identification and
Development program to facilitate the development of intercity
passenger rail corridors within 180 days of enactment. In compliance
with this directive, by this Notice, FRA is establishing the Corridor
Identification and Development program.
ADDRESSES: See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for further
information regarding submitting expressions of interest to docket
number FRA-2022-0031.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, please
contact Peter Schwartz, Chief, Project Engineering and Transportation
Planning Division, by email: [email protected] or by telephone: 202-
493-6360.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents for Supplementary Information
I. Executive Summary
II. Federal Role in Intercity Passenger Rail Service Development
III. Statutory Overview
[[Page 29433]]
IV. Outreach
V. Corridor ID Program Implementation
VI. Expressions of Interest
VII. Next Steps
I. Executive Summary
The BIL requires the Secretary to establish a program--referred to
here as the Corridor Identification and Development Program or Corridor
ID Program--to facilitate the development of intercity passenger rail
corridors, within 180 days of enactment. 49 U.S.C. 25101(a). The
Federal Railroad Administrator is delegated the authority to establish
and administer the Corridor ID Program. 49 CFR 1.89(a).
The Corridor ID Program establishes a comprehensive intercity
passenger rail planning framework that will help guide future federal
project development work and capital investments. FRA encourages
eligible entities to submit expressions of interest in the Corridor ID
Program consistent with the directions below. In addition, as described
below, FRA plans to publish a notice soliciting proposals by eligible
entities to participate in the Corridor ID Program in the last quarter
of this calendar year.
II. Federal Role in Intercity Passenger Rail Service Development
The establishment of the Corridor ID Program represents a major
milestone in the over five decades of Federal work on intercity
passenger rail development. Beginning with the enactment of the High-
Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965, FRA worked to deploy modern
high-speed ground transportation technologies and introduced a multi-
modal, long-term planning effort for the Northeast Corridor (NEC). With
the creation of Amtrak in 1970, and the subsequent major engineering
and construction effort of the Northeast Corridor Improvement Project,
FRA helped to demonstrate the ability of intercity passenger rail to
compete successfully in the passenger transportation market of one of
the country's most heavily traveled corridors.
In the 1980s, FRA, in conjunction with Amtrak, issued a series of
reports on ``Emerging Corridors,'' which explored the potential for the
development of intercity passenger rail corridors throughout the United
States. At the same time, States began to demonstrate increased
interest and involvement in intercity passenger rail development, with
many undertaking independent investigations into the development of new
corridors. State interest in intercity passenger rail development has
continued to grow, with many States now considering passenger rail an
integral part of their State transportation policy, and providing
significant funding to the operation, improvement, and expansion of
such services.
With the enactment of the Intermodal Surface Transportation
Efficiency Act of 1991, Congress called upon FRA to designate five
high-speed rail corridors for the purpose of directing funding for the
elimination of railroad-highway grade crossings (from 1998 through 2011
FRA made additional corridor designations and extensions). FRA also
completed a ``commercial feasibility study'' of high-speed ground
transportation systems, resulting in the 1997 report High-Speed Ground
Transportation for America, which examined the potential of a variety
of high-speed ground transportation technologies across eight
illustrative corridors.
Then, in the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008,
Congress expanded the role of States in intercity passenger rail
development and implementation, and created several new grant programs
to fund capital improvements to existing and new intercity passenger
rail services. Under these new programs, FRA administered significant
investments in passenger rail development and implementation. These
efforts included funding for service development plans, preliminary
engineering and environmental review work activities, and engagement
with State rail plans, as well as the development of regional rail
plans. Additional railroad capital improvement programs were
established by the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act of 2015,
and significant funding has been appropriated for those programs in
every year since. Most recently, the enactment of the BIL has provided
a historic, unprecedented level of funding for the improvement and
expansion of intercity passenger rail service. Importantly, the BIL
requires the establishment of the Corridor ID Program--a formal
framework to guide the future development of intercity passenger rail
throughout the country. Unlike previous Federal intercity passenger
rail planning efforts, the Corridor ID Program is intended both to
support a sustained long-term development effort, and to set forth a
capital project pipeline ready for Federal (and other) funding.
III. Statutory Overview
A. In General
The BIL requires the Secretary, within 180 days of enactment, to
establish the Corridor ID Program to facilitate the development of
intercity passenger rail corridors. 49 U.S.C. 25101(a).
The BIL further provides that the Corridor ID Program shall
include: (1) A process for eligible entities to submit proposals for
the development of corridors; (2) a process for the review and
selection of such proposals; (3) criteria for determining level of
readiness for Federal financial assistance of a corridor (to include
identification of the service operator, service sponsor, and capital
project sponsors; engagement with host railroads; and other criteria
determined appropriate by the Secretary); (4) a process for preparing
service development plans; (5) the creation of a pipeline of intercity
passenger rail corridor projects; (6) planning guidance; and (7) such
other features as the Secretary considers relevant to the successful
development of intercity passenger rail corridors. 49 U.S.C.
25101(a)(1)-(7).
B. Eligible Entities
The following entities are eligible to submit proposals to
participate in the Corridor ID Program: (1) Amtrak; (2) States; (3)
groups of States; (4) entities implementing interstate compacts; (5)
regional passenger rail authorities; (6) regional planning
organizations; (7) political subdivisions of a State; (8) federally-
recognized Indian Tribes; and (9) other public entities, as determined
by the Secretary. 49 U.S.C. 25101(b).
C. Eligible Routes
The following types of routes are eligible to participate in the
Corridor ID Program: (1) A new intercity passenger rail route of less
than 750 miles; (2) the enhancement of an existing intercity passenger
rail route of less than 750 miles; (3) the restoration of service over
all or portions of an intercity passenger rail route formerly operated
by Amtrak; and (4) the increase of service frequency of a long-distance
intercity passenger rail route. 49 U.S.C. 25101(h).
D. Selection Criteria
In selecting intercity passenger rail corridors for participation
in the Corridor ID Program, the Secretary must consider 14 criteria, as
follows:
(1) Whether the route was identified as part of a regional or
interregional planning study;
[[Page 29434]]
(2) The projected ridership, revenues, capital investment, and
operating funding requirements;
(3) The anticipated environmental, congestion mitigation, and other
public benefits;
(4) The projected trip times and their competitiveness with other
transportation modes;
(5) The anticipated positive economic and employment impacts;
(6) The committed or anticipated non-Federal funding for operating
and capital costs;
(7) The benefits to rural communities;
(8) Whether the corridor is included in a State's approved State
rail plan;
(9) Whether the corridor serves historically unserved or
underserved and low-income communities or areas of persistent poverty;
(10) Whether the corridor would benefit or improve connectivity
with existing or planned transportation services of other modes;
(11) Whether the corridor connects at least 2 of the 100 most
populated metropolitan areas;
(12) Whether the corridor would enhance the regional equity and
geographic diversity of intercity passenger rail service;
(13) Whether the corridor is or would be integrated into the
national rail passenger transportation system and would create benefits
for other passenger rail routes and services; and
(14) Whether a passenger rail operator has expressed support for
the corridor.
E. Service Development Plans
For each proposal selected for development under the Corridor ID
Program, the Secretary shall partner with the proposing entity,
relevant States, and Amtrak, as appropriate, to prepare a service
development plan (or to update an existing service development plan).
49 U.S.C. 25101(d).
These service development plans include the following information:
(1) A detailed description of the proposed intercity passenger rail
service, including train frequencies, peak and average operating
speeds, and trip times; (2) a corridor project inventory that
identifies the capital projects necessary to achieve the proposed
service and the order in which Federal funding will be sought; (3) a
schedule and associated phasing of projects and related service
initiation or changes; (4) project sponsors and other entities expected
to participate in carrying out the plan; (5) a description of how the
corridor would comply with Federal rail safety and security laws; (6)
the locations of existing and proposed stations; (7) the needs for
rolling stock and other equipment; (8) a financial plan; (9) a
description of how the corridor would contribute to the development of
a multi-State regional network of intercity passenger rail; (10) an
intermodal plan describing how the new or improved corridor facilitates
travel connections with other passenger transportation services; (11) a
description of the anticipated environmental benefits of the corridor;
and (12) a description of the corridor's impacts on highway and
aviation congestion, energy consumption, land use, and economic
development in the service area. 49 U.S.C. 25101(d)(1)-(12).
In partnering on the preparation of a service development plan, the
Secretary must consult with: Amtrak; State and regional transportation
authorities and local officials; representatives of employee labor
organizations; host railroads; and other stakeholders as determined by
the Secretary. 49 U.S.C. 25101(e).
In addition, every five years after the initial development of a
service development plan, if at least 40% of the work to implement the
plan has not been completed, then the plan's sponsor, in consultation
with the Secretary, shall determine whether the plan should be updated.
49 U.S.C. 25101(f).
F. Project Pipeline
Within 1 year of establishing the program, and by February 1st of
each year thereafter, the Secretary must submit a ``project pipeline''
report to Congress. 49 U.S.C. 25101(g). The project pipeline report:
(1) Identifies intercity passenger rail corridors selected for
development; (2) identifies capital projects for Federal investment,
project applicants, and proposed Federal funding levels, as applicable;
(3) specifies the order in which the Secretary would provide Federal
financial assistance to projects that have been identified; (4) takes
into consideration the appropriate sequence and phasing of projects;
(5) takes into consideration the existing commitments and anticipated
Federal, project applicant, sponsor, and other relevant funding levels
for the next 5 fiscal years; (6) is prioritized based on the level of
readiness of the corridor; and (7) reflects consultation with Amtrak.
49 U.S.C. 25101(g)(1)-(7).
G. Funding
FRA is authorized to use up to 5 percent of the funding made
available for the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger
Rail grants (Fed-State Partnership) program to carry out planning and
development activities, including eligible activities related to the
Corridor ID Program. 49 U.S.C. 24911(k). Such activities include: (1)
Providing funding to public entities for the development of SDPs
selected under the Corridor ID Program; (2) facilitating and providing
guidance for intercity passenger rail systems planning; and (3)
providing funding for the development and refinement of intercity
passenger rail systems planning analytical tools and models. 49 U.S.C.
24911(k).
In addition, under the Fed-State Partnership program, when
selecting projects for funding that are not located on the NEC, the
Secretary must give preference to eligible projects that are identified
in, and consistent with, a corridor inventory prepared under the
Corridor ID Program. 49 U.S.C. 24911(d)(2)(A)(i). Similarly, under the
Restoration and Enhancements Grants program, the Secretary must give
priority to applications for routes selected under the Corridor ID
Program and operated by Amtrak. 49 U.S.C. 22908(d)(10).
IV. Outreach
FRA has conducted, and intends to continue, extensive outreach to
ensure the Corridor ID Program is positioned to successfully facilitate
the development of intercity passenger rail corridors.
A. Request for Information
FRA published a Request for Information (RFI) in the Federal
Register on February 7, 2022 seeking comments on the Corridor ID
Program and how it can best serve stakeholders and the public in
facilitating the development of intercity passenger rail corridors.
FRA-2022-0006-0001. The RFI included a number of specific questions
regarding the Corridor ID Program, including: Roles and
responsibilities within the Corridor ID Program; service development
plans; the project pipeline; the funding of program activities;
readiness of proposals for selection into the Corridor ID Program;
criteria for the selection of proposals; and the selectivity of the
Corridor ID Program.
In response, FRA received over 400, many quite detailed, comments
in connection with the RFI. These comments are invaluable to FRA and
inform FRA's approach to the Corridor ID Program.
B. Listening Sessions
FRA conducted three listening sessions in connection with the
Corridor ID Program. On February 16, 2022, FRA held a virtual listening
session with entities who are eligible to submit proposals under the
Corridor ID
[[Page 29435]]
Program. On February 17, 2022, FRA held a virtual listening session
with host railroads. Also, on February 17, 2022, FRA held a virtual
listening session with associations, advocacy groups, contractors, and
other stakeholders interested in the Corridor ID Program. A total of
469 individuals registered to attend these three listening sessions.
At each of these listening sessions, FRA presented an overview of
the statutory framework of the Corridor ID Program, and invited
comments and statements on the Corridor ID Program and the focused
topics presented in the RFI.
The listening sessions successfully generated many comments on the
Program. While the comments were not uniform, represented a variety of
perspectives, and addressed many aspects of the Corridor ID Program
from its broad framework to its details, several themes emerged. These
themes included the following, that the Corridor ID Program should: (1)
Expand on the geographic scope of previous corridor development efforts
in order to serve communities and regions that are not currently well-
served by passenger rail service; (2) in addition to laying the
foundation for a longer-term planning framework, also strive to deliver
``quick wins;'' (3) include multi-State and multi-project corridors;
(4) be clear on the length of eligible corridors; (5) place relatively
less emphasis on the selection criteria regarding non-Federal funding
for operating costs; (6) be clear on how the Corridor ID Program
relates to other FRA programs and requirements; (7) be clear on whether
the corridor must be in a State rail plan; (8) provide multi-year
funding; (9) provide ``tracks'' with different evaluation criteria to
accommodate corridor proposals at different levels of readiness; (10)
be clear on how a project that is not initially selected can join the
Corridor ID Program at a later date; and (11) provide a clear timeline
for application and selection.
V. Corridor ID Program Implementation
A. In General
FRA intends for the Corridor ID Program, as it grows and matures,
to become the primary means for directing Federal financial support and
technical assistance toward the development of proposals for new or
improved intercity passenger rail services throughout the United
States. Development activities under the Corridor ID Program will
include the preparation of Service Development Plans, the
identification of capital projects necessary to support a corridor, and
the advancement of such projects, as appropriate, through preliminary
engineering (PE) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
process, for the ultimate purpose of advancing the corridor for
subsequent and immediate implementation (comprising final design and
construction activities). Importantly, the selection of a corridor into
the Corridor ID Program will represent a decision by FRA to provide
financial assistance for the completion of these pre-implementation
corridor development activities, subject to the successful completion
of program requirements and the availability of funding. That said, FRA
also intends to provide guidance, outreach, and technical assistance to
entities that submit proposals that are not selected for the Corridor
ID Program, in order to assist in the refinement of such proposals for
future consideration.
While the Corridor ID Program itself will only encompass the pre-
construction development of selected corridors--which may include
planning, environmental review, preliminary engineering, and other
corridor development activities--selection of corridors into the
Corridor ID Program by FRA will reflect the agency's interest in the
advancement of these corridors to implementation and operation. As
such, an important consideration in selecting corridors will be the
demonstration of a commitment on the part of the entity submitting the
proposal, and the corridor's proposed capital project and service
sponsors, to the future implementation and operation of the corridor
(e.g., documented support for the proposal from relevant legislative
and executive government bodies, an established history of support for
intercity passenger rail operations and capital investments, etc.).
While this commitment may be preliminary when submitting a proposal,
FRA expects that the commitment will grow and solidify as the corridor
advances through development under the Corridor ID Program.
As detailed below under ``Next Steps,'' in the last quarter of
calendar year 2022, FRA plans to issue a notice soliciting proposals
from eligible entities to participate in the Corridor ID Program. That
solicitation will provide detailed information on the Corridor ID
Program's application requirements, in addition to other relevant
information. FRA will consider proposals both for entirely undeveloped
concepts for new or improved corridors, and for concepts that have been
the subject of past or ongoing development efforts. For the latter,
selection into the Corridor ID Program will provide the opportunity to
complete or update the prior corridor development efforts, and to
include capital projects necessary to implement those corridors in the
Corridor ID Program project pipeline.
In keeping with the long-range orientation of the Corridor ID
Program, FRA anticipates issuing subsequent solicitations for proposals
at regular intervals to allow new corridors, when ready, to enter the
Corridor ID Program. Such an approach will allow for a consistent flow
of new corridors entering the Corridor ID Program for development, and
fully-developed corridors (or implementation phases of corridors)
exiting the Corridor ID Program with capital projects ready for
construction and funding opportunities. Furthermore, in advance of the
first solicitation of proposals FRA is encouraging eligible entities
interested in submitting a corridor proposal to submit a comment in
response to this Notice expressing such interest (see section VI.
Expressions of Interest below). FRA intends to use these Expressions of
Interest to assist in developing the initial solicitation of proposals,
and to facilitate potential outreach, prior to the issuance of the
initial solicitation, to entities that express an interest in
submitting a proposal.
B. Proposals
The details of the required content for proposals to the Corridor
ID Program will be set forth in FRA's forthcoming notice soliciting
proposals. In general, FRA will seek: (1) Information regarding the
basic characteristics of the corridor; (2) information necessary to
assess the readiness of the corridor to enter into development under
the Corridor ID Program; and (3) information necessary to assess a
proposal against the Corridor ID Program's statutory selection criteria
(see section III.D. Selection Criteria above).
In terms of the basic characteristics of a proposed corridor, a
proposal will need to identify the key geographic travel markets
(``corridor-defining markets'') which must be served for the corridor
to fulfill its intended objectives. The proposal should also include
high-level initial estimates, preferably expressed as ranges or
options, of certain characteristics for the corridor, including: (1)
Potential service frequencies and travel times between the corridor-
defining markets; and (2) the potential geographic routes for the
proposed corridor, particularly if the subject corridor is intended to
operate over existing rail lines.
[[Page 29436]]
In general, proposals should not include information at a level of
detail or specificity that overlaps with that of an SDP, as such
information will be prepared in partnership with FRA as part of the
subsequent development of the corridor under the Corridor ID Program.
49 U.S.C. 25101(d). However, for proposals that relate to corridors
that have been the subject of prior development efforts (such as the
preparation of an SDP) undertaken with FRA's direct participation, such
proposals may reference the findings, recommendations, and conclusions
of that earlier development work.
In regards to the readiness of the corridor for development under
the Corridor ID Program, a proposal should demonstrate the existing
level of commitment of the entity submitting the proposal, and the
corridor's proposed capital project and service sponsors, to the future
implementation and operation of the corridor, including the degree of
coordination and agreement among these parties. FRA does not plan to
require that a proposal demonstrate a commitment by host railroads over
which the corridor would operate, as coordination and consultation with
host railroads will be conducted as part of the preparation of an SDP
under the Corridor ID Program. 49 U.S.C. 25101(e)(4). Furthermore, due
to the significance that the operation of a service by Amtrak would
have on the corridor development process (including the use and
improvement of facilities of host railroads, ongoing operating and
maintenance costs, and requirements regarding the provision of
operating financial support by service sponsors), FRA also plans to
request that proposals explicitly state whether or not the corridor is
intended to be operated by Amtrak.
FRA also plans to request that proposals include information
regarding: The legal, technical, and financial capability and capacity
of the eligible entity and relevant partners to engage in the
development of the corridor, as well as their ability to develop
further such capabilities and capacities to support the future
implementation and operation of the corridor; and the ability to
provide the necessary future non-Federal share of funding for capital
projects and ongoing operating financial support for the corridor. The
ability to secure such future funding may be demonstrated by the
corridor sponsor's past or current funding of intercity passenger rail
capital improvements and operations. In addition, FRA plans to request
that an entity submitting a corridor proposal demonstrate that funding
has been secured for the non-Federal share of costs associated with the
first stage of development of the proposal under the program (i.e., the
preparation, or updating, of an SDP, and the definition and
identification of a preliminary range of reasonable alternatives for
the immediate implementation phase or phases of the corridor--see
``Development Stages'' below).
Lastly, FRA recognizes that corridor proposals will vary widely in
their complexity, risks, and requirements. As such, the required level
of detail for a corridor proposal will vary based on the
characteristics of the corridor. For example, the required content for
proposals for more complex corridors (e.g., proposing the construction
of new rail lines, involving significant improvement to host railroad
facilities, requiring significant increases in ongoing operating
financial support by the service sponsor, etc.) will be more
comprehensive than those for less complex corridors (e.g., proposing
incremental improvements to an existing corridor with few or no
improvements to host railroad facilities, and little to no increased
requirement for ongoing operating financial support by the service
sponsor).
C. Selection
FRA will select corridors for participation in the Corridor ID
Program based on an assessment of the readiness of the corridor to
commence development under the Corridor ID Program (including the
demonstrated level of commitment to the development, implementation,
and operation of the corridor), and through the application of the
statutory selection criteria. As noted above, the selection of a
corridor will represent a key decision by FRA to provide financial
assistance for pre-implementation activities supporting the development
of the corridor under the Corridor ID Program (subject to the
successful completion of program requirements and the availability of
funding). FRA also intends to provide guidance to entities that submit
proposals that are not selected in order to assist in the refinement of
such proposals for future consideration.
While FRA intends the Corridor ID Program to support the
development of many, varied intercity passenger rail corridors, FRA may
limit its selection of corridors, particularly during the start of the
program, based on several considerations. Such considerations may
include the availability of Federal funding to implement corridors
developed under the Corridor ID Program, the capacity of the intercity
passenger rail industry as a whole to support the corridor development
efforts, and a strategy to grow the Corridor ID Program at a
sustainable rate.
D. Development Stages
As discussed, for selected corridors, FRA will partner with the
entity that submitted the proposal, relevant States, and Amtrak, as
appropriate, to complete the corridor development activities necessary
to prepare the proposed corridor (or the independent implementation
phases of a proposed corridor) for implementation. This corridor
development work will be undertaken in two stages.
The first stage is the preparation of an SDP (or an update to an
existing SDP), and the completion of the additional planning and
engineering work required to fully define a preliminary range of
reasonable alternatives for the capital projects identified as
necessary to implement the corridor (or the initial implementation
phase or phases of the corridor).
Following the successful completion of this first stage, the
corridor (or the initial implementation phase or phases of the
corridor) will advance to the second stage of development under the
Corridor ID Program. The second stage is the completion of all
additional corridor development work required to ready the corridor (or
the initial phase or phases of implementing the corridor) for
implementation. Such work will include the completion of PE and NEPA
activities for the corridor, and other prerequisites to implement the
service.
E. Service Development Plans
Under the Corridor ID Program, SDPs will represent the first major
product of the corridor development process and will address all those
topics described in section III.E. above. Furthermore, SDPs may be
prepared under the Corridor ID Program as long-range corridor planning
documents, with the option for the implementation of such a long-range
plan to be pursued in multiple consecutive phases. In particular, SDPs
may reflect two or more discrete implementation phases, with each phase
associated with a specific geographic scope and set of service
characteristics. Likewise, the corridor project inventory that is a
major element of an SDP would be categorized by those projects required
to implement each discrete phase. With this approach, FRA intends both
to avoid a situation in which a corridor may be developed only as an
``all-or-nothing'' proposition, and to minimize the possibility that
near-term implementation of a corridor
[[Page 29437]]
would conflict with the longer-term implementation of the corridor.
F. Project Pipeline
FRA will annually submit to Congress a project pipeline that
addresses the topics described in section III.F. above, including the
identification of capital projects necessary to implement corridors
developed under the Corridor ID Program. These capital projects will
consist of those ready for immediate implementation (i.e., to advance
towards the completion of final design and construction).
FRA recognizes that not all capital projects included within the
corridor project inventory of an SDP--and particularly those projects
associated with a corridor's later implementation phases--will be
immediately advanced within the Corridor ID Program to prepare them for
implementation. As such, FRA also plans to include in its annual report
to Congress a separate list of those projects that are under active
development (i.e., projects conducting PE and NEPA work activities) for
future advancement into the project pipeline.
G. Funding
As described above, funding for the Corridor ID Program is
available. FRA will provide this funding through cooperative agreements
with eligible entities, and will require not less than a 20 percent
non-Federal share of eligible costs, consistent with the requirements
of the Fed-State Partnership program.
FRA will provide such funding consistent with the two stages of
project development for selected corridors described above. First, FRA
will provide funding for the preparation of an SDP (or to update an
existing SDP) and the completion of the additional planning and
engineering work required to fully-define a preliminary range of
reasonable alternatives for the capital projects identified as
necessary to implement the corridor. Second, following the successful
completion of the first stage, FRA will provide funding for applicable
PE and NEPA work activities for the corridor, to ready them for
implementation.
VI. Expressions of Interest
FRA encourages eligible entities interested in submitting a
corridor proposal under the Corridor ID Program to submit a comment in
docket number FRA-2022-0031 available at https://www.regulations.gov.
Search by using the docket number and follow the instructions for
submitting comments.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and
docket number for this Notice, and should be limited to the following
information: Name and contact information, a description of the entity
submitting the expression of interest, and the endpoints of the
corridor.
Note: All comments received, including any personal
information, will be posted without change to the docket and will be
accessible to the public at https://www.regulations.gov. You should
not include information in your comment that you do not want to be
made public. Input submitted online via www.regulations.gov is not
immediately posted to the site. It may take several business days
before your submission is posted.
VII. Next Steps
FRA anticipates publishing a notice requesting proposals to
participate in the Corridor ID Program in the last quarter of the 2022
calendar year. That notice may include funding opportunities and will
provide detailed procedural and substantive Corridor ID Program
information.
In addition, in connection with the administration of the Corridor
ID Program, FRA plans to provide guidance for intercity passenger rail
planning, including guidance for intercity passenger rail corridors not
selected by the Corridor ID Program, and to develop and refine
intercity passenger rail planning analytical tools and models. Lastly,
as the Corridor ID Program matures, FRA will likely develop additional
guidance in support of the program.
Issued in Washington, DC.
Paul Nissenbaum,
Asociate Administrator, Office of Railroad Policy and Development.
[FR Doc. 2022-10250 Filed 5-12-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P