Transit and Rail Program

The Transit and Rail program was created under Senate Bill 09-094 to plan, develop, finance, operate, and integrate transit and rail services. The Division will work in coordination with other transit and rail providers to plan, promote, and implement investments in transit and rail services statewide.

Initial program focus will include:

• Maintaining and expediting the management of existing FTA grants for rural and specialized transit operations;

• Creating policy and priorities for the FASTER [state] funding;
• Working with Regional Transportation Authorities (RTAs) and Transportation Planning Regions (RTPs) on transit service and policy issues;
• Identifying gaps in services and missing connections;
• Creating a state rail plan using Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) principles;
• Conducting feasibility studies of potential new services;
• Pursuing high-speed rail, including taking the lead on feasibility, pre-NEPA, and NEPA studies for strategic corridors and working with regions to complete PEIS to include new technologies;

• Developing state financing mechanism(s); and
• Integrating transit, passenger rail, and freight rail into the stateside transportation plan.