Dive brief:
- The U.S. Department of Transportation on Friday opened a $1.1 billion funding round to improve safety at railroad grade crossings.
- Funding for the Crossing Safety program comes from the Jobs and Infrastructure Investment Act of 2021 to address more than 2,000 collisions and nearly 300 fatalities annually beginning in 2021.
- Eligible projects include the installation or improvement of signs, signals or protective devices; track transfer; and creating a road separation by adding tunnels, bridges or embankments.
Diving knowledge:
Although railroad crossing accidents declined 81 percent from 1972 to 2025, according to the railroad safety education nonprofit Operation Lifesaver, Federal Railroad Administration data show roughly 2,000 accidents each year since 2009.
A 2025 US Government Accountability Office report found that accidents have increasingly involved pedestrians. Of the 287 deaths last year, 108 involved pedestrians.
“Protecting Americans from collisions at railroad crossings is a top priority,” FRA Administrator David Fink said in a statement. “From installing automated equipment to eliminating unsafe crossings, we are committed to providing a safer rail system for Americans.”
States, counties, local governments, metropolitan planning organizations, port authorities, federally recognized Indian tribes, and any combination of these entities are eligible to apply. The FRA will cover up to 80% of the costs of a project.
Of the total funds available in this round, 3% is earmarked for project planning and 20% for projects in rural areas or tribal lands.
FRA said in the Funding Opportunity Notice that it is interested in projects that reduce or eliminate blocked rail crossings. In recent years, freight trains have been concentrated along fewer, more efficient rail corridors, while population has increased along rail lines, according to the Association of American Railroads.
Nofo provides additional details. Applications can be submitted by June 8, 2026.
