The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has opened a massive new funding window for passenger rail safety, rolling out a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) on Sept. 22 for the National Railroad Partnership Program. The move allocates more than $5 billion to projects designed to enhance safety and performance across America’s intercity passenger rail networks.
At the same time, the Department obligated four separate grants totaling more than $42 million for rail safety projects on the Brightline Florida corridor, a private passenger rail line whose safety issues have been under public scrutiny.
📌 Story Highlights
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USDOT issues NOFO for National Railroad Partnership Program with $5+ billion in available funding.
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$2.4 billion redirected from California High-Speed Rail de-obligations.
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Program run by Federal Railroad Administration emphasizes grade crossing safety and family-oriented station upgrades.
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Four grants totaling $42 million+ committed to Brightline Florida safety fencing, crossings, and trespassing alerts.
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Applications due by Jan. 7, 2026.
Billions Reallocated to Safety and Performance
According to USDOT, the new NOFO incorporates about $2.4 billion of the $4 billion the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) de-obligated in August from the California High-Speed Rail project. Those funds, the agency said, will now be “reinvested into successful projects, critical infrastructure upgrades, and rail safety.”
The California High-Speed Rail Authority, meanwhile, has filed suit against the POTUS 47 Administration over the $4 billion funding pull-back. That legal battle underscores the stakes in how federal passenger rail funds are allocated.
The FRA describes the National Railroad Partnership Program as a platform to “fund projects that improve safety, including grade crossing safety, or that reduce the state-of-good-repair backlog or otherwise improve performance.”
New Rules for Applicants
This NOFO replaces the FY 2024 version of the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program and adds FY 2025 funding. FRA officials noted several key changes in the reissued notice:
“The repeal of unlawful diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements.”
“Emphasizing grade crossing safety projects within the program.”
“Supporting projects that align with the Administration’s focus on the American family and ensuring a more seamless travel experience, such as adding mothers’ rooms, expanding waiting areas, adding new family restrooms, creating children’s play areas, and other projects improving overall travel for families in U.S. intercity passenger rail stations.”
Eligible applicants include states, groups of states, interstate compacts, public agencies or authorities created by states, political subdivisions of a state, Amtrak (acting alone or in partnership with states), federally recognized Indian Tribes, or any combination of these.
Applications are due no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on Jan. 7, 2026, and FRA will provide technical assistance to potential applicants before the deadline.
Brightline Florida Safety Upgrades
While announcing the new national program, USDOT also cleared a backlog of long-pending grants on the Brightline Florida corridor, obligating four awards totaling more than $42 million to fund fencing, crossing upgrades, and a trespassing alert system.
The Department said the grants—some announced as far back as three years ago—are part of a backlog of more than 3,200 “unobligated grants.”
The four Brightline safety grants include:
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$24,934,138 for the East Coast Corridor Trespassing and Intrusion Mitigation Project. Announced in August 2022, the RAISE grant went to the Florida Department of Transportation to improve 330 highway/rail grade crossings along 195 miles of corridor with fencing, crossing delineators, crisis support signage, and other intrusion prevention measures.
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$1,648,000 for a Trespassing Identification and Classification System. Announced in September 2023 under the CRISI Grant Program for FY22, the project will deploy technology to provide real-time alerts and aggregate data into heat maps of trespassing and potential collision events along the Florida East Coast Railway right-of-way from Miami to Cocoa.
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$15,440,000 for the Broward County Sealed Corridor Project. Announced in June 2023, this funding will increase safety at 21 grade crossings along the Brightline/Florida East Coast Railway corridor with additional gates and delineators.
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$150,000 for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office to cover overtime costs for targeted pedestrian trespassing enforcement at identified hot spots.
Accelerating “Long-Overdue” Funds
A Department spokesperson said the goal is to push these funds out faster after years of delays:
“Under [U.S. Transportation] Secretary [Sean P.] Duffy’s direction, the Department of Transportation is working diligently to accelerate the distribution of these long-overdue funds and address core infrastructure projects,” the USDOT stated.
By combining a new multi-billion-dollar National Railroad Partnership Program with action on older grant backlogs, the Department is signaling an intensified focus on rail safety, grade crossing upgrades, and family-friendly improvements in U.S. intercity passenger rail stations.
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