Overview: In the National Strategy to Prevent Trespassing on Railroad Property Report to Congress (October 2018), FRA committed to work through the executive and Congressional budget cycles to identify funding for railroad trespasser mitigation. As a result, under the Railroad Trespassing Enforcement Grant Program, FRA provides grants for law enforcement to assist communities at risk for rail trespassing-related incidents and fatalities. 

The objective of this program is to reduce railroad trespassing along the rail rights-of way, thereby reducing trespassing-related incidents. For more information regarding the Railroad Trespassing Enforcement Grant Program, please see the FY 2019 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

Legislative Authority: Funding was made available for this program by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019, Div. G, Tit. I, Public Law 116-6 and authorized in 49 U.S.C. § 103(i). The FY 2019 NOFO provided that should additional funds become available after the release of the NOFO, FRA could elect to award such additional funds to applications received under the NOFO. The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, Div. H, Tit. I, Public Law 116-94, passed December 20, 2019, provided additional funding for Trespasser Prevention Strategy Implementation. Therefore, to expedite the delivery of grants to law enforcement for targeted trespass prevention efforts, FRA added the newly available FY 2020 funding to the funds made available in FY 2019.

Eligible Projects: Funding under this NOFO is limited to hourly wages for law enforcement officials to enforce trespassing laws at rail trespass hot spots within their respective jurisdictions or at areas that demonstrate a rail trespassing problem in their community on FRA-regulated track. Enforcement activities may include investigating incidents of trespassing, as well as providing warnings and citations to the trespassers.

Eligible Recipients: State, county, municipal, local, and regional enforcement agencies are eligible applicants under this notice. At least one mile of FRA-regulated railroad track must be within the boundaries of the applying agency’s jurisdiction.

Funding Available for Award: $528,028, with

• $150,000 from FY 2019 funding and $378,028 from FY 2020 funding
• 11 projects in 6 states were selected for awards 

**See a list of the selected projects.

News: July 7, 2020 Press Release

Previous Funding Rounds

Law Enforcement Strategies for Reducing Trespassing Pilot Grant Program (FY 2018)

Overview: FRA initiated a “Pilot Grant Program” to assist communities at risk for rail trespassing-related incidents and fatalities. The objective of this program was to evaluate the effectiveness of funding local law enforcement activities intended to reduce trespassing on the rail rights-of-way. For more information, please see the FY 2018 NOFO.

Legislative Authority: Funding was made available by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, Public Law 114-113, Div. L, Tit. I, 129 Stat. 2242, 2853 (2015), and authorized in 49 U.S.C. § 20108, 49 U.S.C. § 301(6), and 49 U.S.C. § 103(g)-(f). 

Eligible Projects: Projects eligible for funding under this NOFO were for enforcement activities focused on enforcing specific railroad trespassing law to reduce rail trespassing incidents and casualties, particularly in areas near railroad trespass hot spots.

Eligible Recipients: The following entities were eligible applicants for all project types permitted under this notice:

• The applicant and co-applicant pool was limited to state, county, municipal, local, and regional law enforcement agencies in the United States.
• Applicants for this grant had to have a demonstrated rail trespass problem in their community.
• At least one mile of FRA-regulated railroad mainline track had to be within the boundaries of the applying agency’s jurisdiction.

Funding Available for Award:  $196,357

Resources:  

• FY18 Law Enforcement Strategies Grant Program – Selected Projects