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FTA CIG Guidance Update
The CIG Program is the federal government’s largest discretionary grant program to fund transit capital investments, including heavy rail, commuter rail, light rail, streetcars, and bus rapid transit. FTA implements the CIG program, in part, through policy guidance that includes the process applicants must follow to be considered for discretionary funding for New Starts, Small Starts, Core Capacity, and Bundles of CIG projects.
A group of CSC members, led by board member Nick Stadem from HDR, convened twice to review the recent policy guidance updates and identify key issues for providing feedback to the FTA. The working group focused their comments on these areas:
- Changes in breakpoints for environmental benefits
- Updates to cost effectiveness breakpoints
- The impact of supportive zoning
- Two additional land use measures
- The rating process for project bundles
In addition to the comments being prepared by Nick and the HDR team, CSC's Executive Director Christy Willhite and Strategic Policy Advisor Brandi Bird are drafting a cover letter. This letter will address two additional concerns: the limits on federal matching funds for small start projects and the use of local contingency funds.
Comments are due by Tuesday, June 4, 2024. The cover letter and final comments will be included in next month's newsletter.
If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to share your organization's CIG policy guidance comments, please reach out to Christy at christy@streetcarcoalition.org.
Policy Guidance
FTA Presentation Materials
FTA Announces $10.5 Million Funding Opportunity for Transit-Oriented Development
FTA today announced the availability of approximately $10.5 million in Fiscal Year 2024 competitive grant funds through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning. The funding will support local planning and investment near transit hubs to promote sustainable, livable, and equitable communities.
TOD links public transportation, land use, and housing to create communities that are connected to transit and walkable. TOD planning can reduce transportation costs for American families and reduce their carbon footprint by improving transit access to jobs and services.
To apply for funding, an applicant must be an existing FTA grant recipient – either a project sponsor of an eligible transit project or an entity with land use planning authority in the project corridor. To ensure that work meets the needs of the local community, transit project sponsors and land use planning authorities must partner to conduct the planning work.
Instructions for applying can be found on FTA’s Website here and in GRANTS.GOV (FTA-2024-005-TPE-TODP). All completed proposals must be submitted electronically through the GRANTS.GOV “APPLY” function by July 22 2024.
FTA will host a webinar (passcode 838768) on Wednesday, June 5, at 2:00 p.m. ET to discuss the requirements for funding, application eligibility and criteria, and the submission process. Participants will learn more about the Pilot Program for Transit- Oriented Development Planning and how to apply. The webinar will include an opportunity to ask questions.
FTA's New DBE Program Regulation Guidance
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has issued guidance to explain the requirements for FTA Tier II recipients (Tier 2s) under the new Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program regulations. The U.S. Department of Transportation published a DBE Final Rule in the Federal Register on April 9, 2024. Beginning in federal fiscal year 2025, FTA will move to a tiered system for DBE compliance. FTA recipients of planning, capital, or operating assistance that award more than $670,000 in FTA funds annually (excluding transit vehicle purchases) are considered Tier I recipients and are subject to all provisions in 49 CFR part 26. Recipients that award $670,000 or less are considered Tier 2s and are only subject to certain specified provisions in part 26.
The guidance covers:
- Generally, what is and what is not required of Tier 2s and timing
- How and when Tier 2s comply with recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including the DBE Uniform Report and bidders list
- Requirements for contract assurances
- Expectations for the policy statement
- Procedural and substantive requirements for the small business element
- Transit vehicle procurement reporting
- Goal methodology and program plan considerations
FTA encourages all recipients to review this guidance. Recipients that typically award less than $670,000 in FTA funds per year will find the guidance especially useful.
The guidance is available on FTA’s DBE Guidance webpage.
FTA Publishes Updated Version of the National Public Transportation Safety Plan
FTA published an updated version of the National Public Transportation Safety Plan concurrently with updates to the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans (PTASP) regulation. View the PTASP and National Safety Plan documents.
These updates are a part of a continuing effort to improve transit safety performance on federally supported transit systems. The National Safety Plan updates incorporate Bipartisan Infrastructure Law requirements for PTASP safety performance measures and lay out a performance-based approach to reduce injuries and fatalities on transit systems under FTA’s safety jurisdiction.
The plan includes best practices, tools, technical assistance, voluntary standards and other resources. While the National Safety Plan is not a regulation and does not impose mandatory requirements, it creates a blueprint for transit agencies to adopt stronger safety measures.
Key updates to the National Safety Plan include:
- Adding seven safety performance measures to address incidents and rates of vehicle collisions, transit worker injuries and fatalities and transit worker assaults. These apply to all agencies subject to the PTASP regulation.
- Adding eight performance measures for the safety risk reduction program to improve safety performance by reducing the number and rates of vehicle and pedestrian accidents involving buses, as well as the number and rates of assaults on transit workers. These apply to Urbanized Area Formula Grant (Section 5307) recipients that serve areas with a population of 200,000 or more.
- Adding voluntary minimum safety performance standards and recommended practices for new categories, such as transit worker safety, pedestrian and bicyclist safety, rail grade crossing safety, tunnel ventilation and fire safety.
- In coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, adding new practices for transit agencies to ensure public and personnel safety during an emergency and resources that contain information on driver assistive technologies, driver protection infrastructure and strategies to reduce visibility impairments.
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