FRA Offers $150K Trespassing Grant Program

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) recently posted a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for a Railroad Trespassing Enforcement Grant Program worth $150,000.

The program’s objective is to reduce railroad trespassing along the rail right-of ways, thereby reducing trespassing safety-related incidents. Thus, under the Railroad Trespassing Enforcement Grant Program, FRA aims to provide grants for law enforcement, regular and overtime wages, to assist communities at risk for rail trespassing related incidents and fatalities.

FRA said that “funding under this NOFO is limited to hourly wages for law enforcement officials to enforce trespassing laws at rail trespass hot spots within their respective jurisdictions or at areas that demonstrate a rail trespassing problem in their community on FRA-regulated track. Enforcement Activities may include investigating incidents of trespassing, as well as providing warnings and citations to the trespassers.”

State, county, municipal, local and regional enforcement agencies are eligible applicants under this notice. And at least one mile of FRA-regulated railroad track must be within the boundaries of the applying agency’s jurisdiction.

Applications for funding are due no later than 5p.m. ET on Dec. 23, 2019. Applications for funding received after 5p.m. ET on Dec. 23, 2019 will not be considered for funding, FRA noted.

More information on the Railroad Trespassing Enforcement Grant can be found here.