Demonstration Projects and Technology Advancements for Positive Train Control (PTC)/Communication Research and Development Program

The summary for the Demonstration Projects and Technology Advancements for Positive Train Control (PTC)/Communication Research and Development Program grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the DOT Federal Railroad Administration, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Demonstration Projects and Technology Advancements for Positive Train Control (PTC)/Communication Research and Development Program: Adoption and application of new technology in railroad services is a key focus in the FRA Research and Development program. One particular area of new development to help achieving this goal is in the advanced train control system and dispatching system, such as the new concept of Positive Train Control (PTC), which uses microprocessors, advanced navigation and tracking systems, and wireless technology to interconnect the various segments of railroad operation to virtually eliminate train to train collision and over-speed derailments, as well as to provide roadway worker protection. This is an unrestricted solicitation for demonstrations of various technology advancements or techniques, specifically related to the following areas: (1) Grade crossing hazard mitigation systems; (2) Positive train control; (3) Wireless communication system; (4) Train tracking system; (5) Risk assessment & hazardous analysis; and (6) PTC/Communication enabling projects. Technologies most likely to help facilitate the improvement of railroad services are those which will (1) improve safety by reducing human and technology failures; (2) bring about capital cost reductions and economy in producing equipment and facilities; (3) reduce operating costs of rail service by providing more efficient operations; (4) improve the reliability of equipment and infrastructure components by reducing failures and/or reducing false failure detections; (5) enhance the revenue-generating capability of high-speed operations by attracting greater ridership by reducing trip times, upgrading customer service quality, increasing reliability, or improving on time performance; and/or (6) enhance the social benefits and/or environmental aspects of high-speed rail. Interested parties may submit proposals in accordance with the BAA-2009-1 package which may be downloaded or printed from the following Internet website: http://www.fra.dot.gov. Follow the selections of "Research and Development" (from upper left home page menu), "Funds for Research", and then "Broad Agency Announcement." BAA-2009-1 is not available in paper copy.