Navigating the National Railroad Partnership Program: Key Webinar Takeaways

Washington, DC — With $5 billion now available through the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)’s National Railroad Partnership (NRP) program and applications due February 6, 2026*, communities across the country are gearing up for a major opportunity to advance rail safety, mobility, and economic development. To help them prepare, GoRail hosted webinar “All Aboard: Navigating FRA’s National Railroad Partnership Program,” featuring FRA officials, a state transportation leader, and a railroad representative. 

Understanding the Program

FRA’s Sergio Coronado outlined the purpose of the program, explaining that it funds capital projects “that enhance rail safety, reduce the state of good repair, improve performance, [and] expand or establish new intercity passenger rail (IPR) service.” He reiterated that eligible applicants include state DOTs, public agencies, Amtrak, and local governments, and that projects that are strictly freight or commuter-focused “would be considered ineligible” because the program needs to benefit IPR in some way.

Coronado also emphasized a detail that can make or break an application: the required 20% non-federal match. Any application lacking that match is automatically ineligible, he said, and communities should come prepared with clear documentation. “Funding commitment letters… go a long way to showing FRA that you have the funding source available and ready to go.”

Safety at the Forefront

Safety—especially around grade crossings—continues to be a central focus for the FRA. During the discussion, FRA’s Lauren Kobayashi noted the agency’s preference for projects that improve the reliability, financial performance, or state of good repair of an Amtrak route, particularly when Amtrak is not the sole applicant.

When it comes to crossings, she distilled the agency’s approach into a simple truth: “The safest crossing is no crossing… eliminating a crossing definitely improves safety, but even upgrading crossings to having gates and lights” is considered a safety improvement. However, the NRP grant cannot fund improvements to crossings that are already grade separated, as those are considered roadway projects. Funding is limited to upgrading at-grade crossings or constructing new grade separations.

Building a Competitive Application

On the application process itself, FRA’s Remi Work encouraged communities to treat the narrative as more than a formality. “Your project narrative is really where you get to tell the story of your project from start to finish… what benefits this project (will) have on your community,” she said.

Work also stated that the FRA is “trying to make this process as simple as possible” and walked through technical requirements such as the benefit-cost analysis, NEPA documentation, and the SF-424 form, urging applicants to use the templates FRA provides (see here).

Stakeholder Collaboration

The other panelists echoed the FRA’s emphasis on early engagement. Laura Doud, Chief Rail Engineer for the Michigan DOT, stressed that communities should never build a rail project in isolation.  

“Early outreach is absolutely critical,” she said. “Rail projects are inherently complex and early coordination with the affected railroads and other stakeholders is essential.” MDOT, she noted, prioritizes consistent engagement with each railroad, enabling them to “think like a railroad” in understanding, for example, operational realities and competing interests.  Doud also underscored the importance of realistically assessing your team’s capacity before pursuing rail projects, which often require significant time, resources, and outside support—such as hiring consultants. And she noted that applicants shouldn’t assume their state agency will have the bandwidth to manage the grant and should instead engage early to clarify roles, responsibilities, and potential matching funds. 

Herbert Smith of Norfolk Southern commended the FRA team for their work on discretionary grant programs, highlighting the agency’s evolution from oversight to project implementation and the significant effort behind the current $5 billion NOFO.  

Like Doud, Smith spoke to the importance of early and wide engagement. “That big tent approach saves you so much time and effort by including all stakeholders on the front end because we’re strongest and best when we hear from everybody’s thoughts of how we can build infrastructure better, more cost effectively and quicker.” Amtrak operating over host railroad property, for example, may have differing goal sets than the host railroads and reconciling these interests helps to advance projects. 

Building political and community support is also key to project success, according to Smith. He urged stakeholders to engage local, state, and federal officials—not just for project backing, but to help demonstrate the value of these investments and encourage Congress to sustain or expand funding in future transportation reauthorizations. Ultimately, he said, the most successful program partners stay in touch. “Don’t think that after you submitted your application  is when you should stop your conversation with all stakeholders. It is a continuum.”

Looking Ahead

FRA officials closed the session with a reminder that this funding round is significant—but not the last. Future-year NRP funding remains available, and programs like CRISI and the Railroad Crossing Elimination program continue to offer additional pathways for communities to advance rail improvements.

As communities begin preparing their applications, our Rail Grant Hub is available to support early planning, coordination, and project readiness. Local leaders can also subscribe to GoRail’s newsletter for ongoing updates or reach out directly for guidance as they navigate this expansive funding opportunity.