The U.S. Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced that eight transit systems in eight states will receive a total of USD 343 million in federal funding to retrofit rail transit stations and make them easier for passenger access.
This investment is provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and has been awarded through the All Stations Accessibility programme (ASAP).
Grant recipients will use the funding to make rail transit stations more accessible and in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards by installing elevators, renovating platforms for level boarding, improving signage and enhancing visual and audio systems.
The selected ASAP projects are:
- The Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City will receive USD 156.5 million to improve accessibility at the Wakefield-241st Street, Kingsbridge Road, 167th Street, 145th Street, and 110th Street stations.
- The New Jersey Transit Corporation will receive USD 83.3 million to improve accessibility at the Brick Church station on the Morris and Essex Line, which serves as a crucial rail link connecting New York Penn Station, Newark, and communities in Morris and Essex counties.
- The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will receive USD 67.6 million funding to upgrade station platforms at 14 stops along the Green Line’s light rail B and C branches that are not accessible to riders with disabilities.
- The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority in Ohio will receive USD 16 million to rehabilitate 8 stations to make the entire Blue Line accessible for people with disabilities.
- The Pittsburgh Regional Transit System will receive USD 8 million to make its Palm Garden, Dawn, Hampshire, Stevenson, Poplar, Arlington, Smith Road, Casswell, Highland and Dorchester stations along the Red Line accessible to people with disabilities.
- New Orleans Regional Transit Authoritywill receive USD 5.5 million to redesign and upgrade the St. Charles Streetcar route. Features of the project include completing the design and construction of ADA-compliant stops and conducting traffic studies along the historic corridor.
- San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) will receive approximately USD 4.7 million to construct platforms, wheelchair ramps, and make other accessibility improvements at five Muni light rail stops on the J-Church line and three Muni stops on the M-Ocean View line.
- The Maryland Transit Administration will receive USD 1.4 million to conduct engineering and design work to make the College Park MARC station on the Camden Line fully accessible.
“We are not only modernising our nation’s infrastructure, we are doing so in a way that makes it more accessible for older Americans, people with disabilities, and all transit users. This initiative, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is retrofitting old rail stations with elevators, ramps, and more, to make sure that our public transportation is more accessible for millions of Americans going about their daily lives,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.
Projects were selected for funding based on criteria described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. This programme was created under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides a total of USD 1.75 billion in funding for ASAP through FY 2026. In December 2022, FTA announced USD 686 million in FY 2022 and 2023 funding to 15 projects in 9 states through the ASAP programme.
Inaccessibility is a significant hurdle for riders using rail systems built before 1990, known as legacy systems. More than 900 transit legacy stations are not fully accessible today.
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