CRISI Grant Funding

Our Ask:

• Fully fund the CRISI program at the $1 billion authorized discretionary appropriations level in FY 26.

• As part of the surface transportation reauthorization, maintain robust advance appropriations and streamline agency grant-making procedures.

Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program (CRISI)

• Congress created the CRISI program in 2015 to improve freight and intercity passenger railroad safety, efficiency and reliability.
   
• CRISI has enabled hundreds of short line projects which otherwise wouldn’t have happened due to limited resources. The program accommodates smaller and simpler, but still transformational projects, as well as larger scale initiatives.
   
• Every dollar invested in rail infrastructure is an investment in safety. On short lines, the biggest causes of derailments are worn-out track and crossties. Track and tie investments are, not surprisingly, among the most popular elements in CRISI short line projects.

Since the program was enacted, some 240 CRISI grants have been made for short line projects, over $2.7 billion. In the last round, short lines secured 81 of 122 grants, $1.29 billion, about half of the available funds.

Baseline funding of $1 billion per year is guaranteed through advance appropriations through FY 2026. Up to $1 billion more each year may be appropriated by Congress.

Maintaining at least those funding levels in the next surface transportation reauthorization bill—both guaranteed funds and discretionary funds—is the top priority for short lines and the shippers and communities they support.  

• Advance appropriations created funding stability that enables short lines to better access CRISI. ASLRRA urges Congress to include a predictable multi-year stream of funding for CRISI in the next transportation reauthorization bill.

CRISI has been effective and popular on a bipartisan basis. There are opportunities to further improve it:

• Protection of Resources for Freight Rail Investments — ASLRRA discourages set-asides for passenger rail projects or new applicant eligibilities, notably commuter railroads. Short lines still face a large capital backlog and must remain viable competitors for these limited funds. ASLRRA has no opposition to passenger rail. But there are other grant programs providing capital funds for passenger rail at levels that dwarf CRISI.
   
• Program Speed — CRISI projects should move from announcement to award to completion much faster. For short line projects this would result in better outcomes with no additional risk of negative impacts. Accelerating the grantmaking process and implementation will reduce a major risk to the projects, that of cost escalation.
   
• Pursue More Transparency, Benchmarking and Streamlining — Congress can codify requirements for agency reports on process status, from award notification through obligation to closeout. This will support determination of where process problems lie and how legislative reforms can make improvements. Improvements made by the agency at the regulatory and policy level can also be made permanent in law.
   
• Improve the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Process — ASLRRA encourages improvements to NEPA  reflecting the positive environmental impacts of keeping freight on rails and off roads. Nearly all short line projects are categorical exclusions (CEs). There is room to expand CE coverage without risking significant environmental impacts. Bundling like CEs for review and approval is a proven procedure that Congress can support. Rail projects of certain types and scale could also be exempted entirely from unneeded CE evaluations.
   
• Section 106 Reforms to Prevent Unnecessary Delays to Rail Projects — Congress should codify exemptions for historical reviews for projects on established operating freight railroad properties. Agency-policy level efforts to prevent unneeded or excessive historical reviews for routine rail projects have proven insufficient.