SOUTHERN RAIL COMMISSION RECEIVES $400,000 IN INTERSTATE RAIL COMPACTS FUNDING

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced Thursday the allocation of $400,000 in Interstate Rail Compacts (IRC) funding to the Southern Rail Commission (SRC) Rail-Ready Project. The project will support administrative capacity, operations, and initiatives to expand passenger rail operations across the South.
 
“The Interstate Rail Compacts Program funding has the power to shape not only the Southern Rail Commission’s operations, but also the future of passenger rail service across the Gulf South,” said Knox Ross, Chairman of the Southern Rail Commission. “These dollars will support expanded operations, allowing us to dedicate additional time and resources to the development of comprehensive and successful passenger rail corridors. We are extremely grateful to our partners at the local, state, and federal level who continue to champion the Southern Rail Commission, advocate for funding and opportunities, and help our commission move the needle.”
 
IRC funding will support costs associated with commission administration; rail corridor planning; intercity passenger rail promotion; federal grant application preparation; and rail operation coordination, providing the critical support needed to expand the SRC’s current operations and advocacy.
 
“As funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law advances transformative rail projects in communities around the country, FRA is supporting all elements needed for new passenger rail services, from planning and development to the implementation of service,” said FRA Administrator Amit Bose. “The Interstate Rail Compacts Grant Program fills a vital need by providing entities implementing interstate rail compacts with the resources to build up an organizational and human infrastructure for the fluid operation of new services that will meet the needs of local communities.”
 
The grant allocation is supported by the $5.8 million allocation to the IRC through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). IRC funding is not eligible to directly fund rail capital projects. However, the SRC is permitted to use funding allocations to support activities that prepare entities to deliver rail capital projects within our region that are in alignment with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s strategic goals. The SRC will provide a 50 percent non-federal match.