Slow federal grant disbursement is hindering progress on rail infrastructure projects, rail industry leaders warned at a Senate hearing Wednesday.
Inconsistent eligibility requirements and review processes are among key causes of delays for project payments from the government to private companies, the industry officials said at a Senate Commerce Surface Transportation Subcommittee hearing on rail modernization.
“There’s been delays between the announcement of the grants and the actual funding of the program,” said Peter Gilbertson, president of Anacostia Rail Holdings. “We think there’s opportunities to substantially shorten that period.”
Congress is preparing to reauthorize surface transportation programs ahead of their ...