Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Department of Transportation opened a $1.1 billion funding round Friday to improve safety at railroad grade crossings.
- Funding under the Crossing Safety Program comes from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to address over 2,000 collisions and nearly 300 fatalities yearly since 2021.
- Eligible projects include installing or improving signs, signals or protective devices; relocating tracks; and creating road separation by adding tunnels, bridges or embankments.
Dive Insight:
Although railroad crossing accidents declined 81% from 1972 to 2025, according to rail-safety education nonprofit Operation Lifesaver, Federal Railroad Administration data show roughly 2,000 accidents each year since 2009.
A 2025 U.S. Government Accountability Office report found that accidents have increasingly involved pedestrians. Of the 287 deaths last year, 108 involved pedestrians.
“Protecting Americans from railroad crossing collisions is a top priority,” FRA Administrator David Fink said in a statement. “From installing automated equipment to eliminating unsafe crossings, we are committed to delivering a safer railroad 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 a project's costs.
Of the total available funds in this round, 3% is set aside for project planning and 20% is dedicated to projects in rural areas or on tribal lands.
The FRA said in the Notice of Funding Opportunity that it is interested in projects that reduce or eliminate blocked railroad crossings. In recent years, freight trains have concentrated along fewer, more efficient rail corridors while populations have increased along rail lines, according to the Association of American Railroads.
The Nofo provides additional details. Applications are due by June 8, 2026.
