Moving Freight Forward in 2026 with CRISI Grants

Welcome to 2026! As we look forward to the new year, many in the rail industry are also looking forward to a new round of funding from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to help improve the safety of our railroads. One of the ways our team supports you in advancing freight initiatives is in obtaining grants and providing environmental permitting services. 

What are CRISI Grants? 

The FRA is expected in the first quarter of 2026 to offer another round of Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) grants. While the total amount of the grant program will not be known until the Notice of Funding Opportunity is released, many railroads are gearing up to apply for federal dollars that can help them improve the safety of their rail lines and increase the speed of deliveries, resulting in more trips and more revenue. 

How Can CRISI Grants Help? 

While more detail can be found on the FRA’s website (https://railroads.dot.gov/grants-loans/consolidated-rail-infrastructure-and-safety-improvements-crisi-program), most commonly CRISI grants are used to improve the structure and safety of rail by: 

• Installing welded rail 
• Resurfacing rail 
• Tie replacement 
• Bridge/headwall replacement or improvement 
• Installing signals and grade crossings 

It is important to have a well-defined scope of work for the grant application. This means not only detailing the project work itself, but also the safety benefits both to your railroad and the surrounding community as well as economic benefits. While not required, having a municipal or state partner helps improve your chances of being awarded a grant. 

Many railroads have in-house staff who have worked on CRISI grant applications in the past and can lend their experience to their writing and development. If not, it can be useful to find a partner like TRC that can help both write the grant application, as well as manage financial disbursement tracking and reporting back to the FRA as the project moves forward after award. 

The Benefits of Early Planning 

While the grant application process does not require the inclusion of a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review, many railroads have found that it helps the approval of the grant application and moves the grant award faster to project implementation if this is already done. Generally, by the nature of the work being completed under a CRISI grant, the typical NEPA document is a Categorical Exclusion (CE). Completion of the draft CE as part of the grant application process also can help identify if any potentially sensitive NEPA issues are involved that could trigger additional permitting paths. 

If bridge replacement or disturbance of new areas (e.g., double tracking) are involved, this could trigger a review process under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). While this does not preclude the use of a CE, it will add time to the CRISI process. Development of a solid project description could help minimize the potential for Section 106 impacts, so if time is of the essence on your project, consider what elements to include.   

Another impact that can be identified early is potential to harm threatened or endangered (T&E) species or their habitats including wetlands and floodplains. Again, depending on the impact these effects may not preclude the use of a CE, but during project development, measures to minimize these impacts should be incorporated into the project description. TRC supports outreach to both the FRA and resource agencies like the US Fish and Wildlife Service to help plan ahead for how to best manage these potential impacts before the grant is even awarded, thereby facilitating the commencement of construction as quickly as possible. 

Lastly, keep in mind that you may end up generating some waste as you construct the project, e.g., old railroad ties or bridge members. Some of these old wastes can contain hazardous substances: petroleum distillates, lead-based paint, asbestos and polychlorinated biphenyls. TRC manages both the disposal of these wastes as well as where they are stored pending disposal. Keeping them away from wetlands and protected from weather is key during this process.