49 U.S.C. § 26101 : US Code - Section 26101: Corridor development

Search 49 U.S.C. § 26101 : US Code - Section 26101: Corridor development

(a) Corridor Development Assistance. - (1) The Secretary may
provide under this section financial assistance to a public agency
or group of public agencies for corridor development for up to 50
percent of the publicly financed costs associated with eligible
activities.
(2) No less than 20 percent of the publicly financed costs
associated with eligible activities shall come from State and local
sources, which State and local sources may not include funds from
any Federal program.
(b) Eligible Activities. - (1) A corridor development activity is
eligible for financial assistance under subsection (a) if the
Secretary determines that it is necessary to establish appropriate
engineering, operational, financial, environmental, or
socioeconomic projections for the establishment of high-speed rail
service in the corridor and that it leads toward development of a
prudent financial and institutional plan for implementation of
specific high-speed rail improvements, or if it is an activity
described in subparagraph (M). Eligible corridor development
activities include -
(A) environmental assessments;
(B) feasibility studies emphasizing commercial technology
improvements or applications;
(C) economic analyses, including ridership, revenue, and
operating expense forecasting;
(D) assessing the impact on rail employment of developing high-
speed rail corridors;
(E) assessing community economic impacts;
(F) coordination with State and metropolitan area
transportation planning and corridor development with other
States;
(G) operational planning;
(H) route selection analyses and purchase of rights-of-way for
proposed high-speed rail service;
(I) preliminary engineering and design;
(J) identification of specific improvements to a corridor,
including electrification, line straightening and other right-of-
way improvements, bridge rehabilitation and replacement, use of
advanced locomotives and rolling stock, ticketing, coordination
with other modes of transportation, parking and other means of
passenger access, track, signal, station, and other capital work,
and use of intermodal terminals;
(K) preparation of financing plans and prospectuses;
(L) creation of public/private partnerships; and
(M) the acquisition of locomotives, rolling stock, track, and
signal equipment.
(2) No financial assistance shall be provided under this section
for corridor development with respect to the main line of the
Northeast Corridor, between Washington, District of Columbia, and
Boston, Massachusetts.
(c) Criteria for Determining Financial Assistance. - Selection by
the Secretary of recipients of financial assistance under this
section shall be based on such criteria as the Secretary considers
appropriate, including -
(1) the relationship of the corridor to the Secretary's
national high-speed ground transportation policy;
(2) the extent to which the proposed development focuses on
systems which will achieve sustained speeds of 125 mph or
greater;
(3) the integration of the corridor into metropolitan area and
statewide transportation planning;
(4) the potential interconnection of the corridor with other
parts of the Nation's transportation system, including the
interconnection with other countries;
(5) the anticipated effect of the corridor on the congestion of
other modes of transportation;
(6) whether the work to be funded will aid the efforts of State
and local governments to comply with the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C.
7401 et seq.);
(7) the past and proposed financial commitments and other
support of State and local governments and the private sector to
the proposed high-speed rail program, including the acquisition
of rolling stock;
(8) the estimated level of ridership;
(9) the estimated capital cost of corridor improvements,
including the cost of closing, improving, or separating highway-
rail grade crossings;
(10) rail transportation employment impacts;
(11) community economic impacts;
(12) the extent to which the projected revenues of the proposed
high-speed rail service, along with any financial commitments of
State or local governments and the private sector, are expected
to cover capital costs and operating and maintenance expenses;
(13) whether a specific route has been selected, specific
improvements identified, and capacity studies completed; and
(14) whether the corridor has been designated as a high-speed
rail corridor by the Secretary.