Federal and state funding news for the people who actually run the railroad.
October 5, 2026
Accountability watch
Fifty miles of new highway north from Juneau, plus a shuttle ferry connection, had $202 million in approved funding on the table. Alaska picked "No Action" instead, and FHWA closed the environmental process in 2018.
Accountability watch
Amtrak service between Chicago and the Quad Cities was promised to start in 2015. Sixteen years after the federal award, the Iowa Interstate Railroad segment only reached preliminary engineering in 2024 — and the underlying federal funding is now at risk of expiring.
Deadline approaching
Applications for the Iowa Department of Transportation's Replacement of Buses, Trucks & Non-road Equipment (VW Trust) program are due 2026-10-26 under the FY 2027 cycle. The competitive grant program funds equipment acquisition to replace or repower diesel freight trucks, buses, and non-road equipment. Eligible applicant types include transload operators, shippers, private industrial entities, municipalities, and counties.
Awards announced
The Federal Railroad Administration awarded $100,000,000 to the Orange County Transp Authority under the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program.
Recent awards
Upcoming deadlines
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