49 U.S.C. § 22910 — Interstate Rail Compacts Grant Program

(a) Grants Authorized. The Secretary must set up a competitive grant program for entities running interstate rail compacts under section 410 of the Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act of 1997. Money can cover administrative costs, planning studies (including effects on freight rail and ridership), promoting intercity passenger rail, preparing applications for other federal grants, and coordinating operations. (b) Maximum Amount. No grant under this section can exceed $1,000,000 per year. (c) Selection Criteria. In picking grant recipients, the Secretary considers: funding or participation from a rail carrier, State, local, or regional government, or the private sector; the applicant's work fostering economic development through rail, especially in rural areas; whether the applicant seeks to restore a formerly Amtrak-operated route; whether the applicant serves regions underserved by other intercity transportation; whether the applicant improves connectivity in the national rail network; whether the applicant has prepared regional rail or corridor plans and environmental analysis; and whether the applicant has coordinated with other agencies and providers to improve multimodal connections, such as with intercity bus or air service. (d) Numerical Limitation. The Secretary cannot fund more than 10 interstate rail compacts in any fiscal year. (e) Operator Limitation. Grants can only go to applicants whose eligible rail service will be operated by Amtrak. (f) Non-Federal Match. Each recipient must provide a non-federal match of at least 50 percent of the eligible costs of running the compact. (g) Report. Within 3 years of this section's enabling law, the Secretary must report to the relevant House and Senate committees on how this section is being implemented, the status of funded planning and coordination, recipients' plans to keep the compacts going, the status of any new or improved rail service the compacts have started, and any recommendations for new legislation.