CIG Fact Sheet

BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW FACT SHEET:
FIXED GUIDEWAY CAPITAL INVESTMENT GRANTS PROGRAM
Fiscal Year

2022
(in millions)

2023
(in millions)

2024
(in millions)

2025
(in millions)

2026
(in millions)

Fixed Guideway Capital
Investment Grant
Program
(Authorized Subject to
Appropriation)

$3,000

$3,000

$3,000

$3,000

$3,000

Fixed Guideway Capital
Investment Grant
Program
(Advanced Appropriations)

$1,600

$1,600

$1,600

$1,600

$1,600

Note: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law authorizes $3 billion per year in annual appropriations for the CIG Program,
including funding that may be awarded under the Expedited Project Delivery Pilot Program. In addition, the law
directly provides $1.6 billion per year in advance appropriations as a supplement to annual appropriations for this
program.

PROGRAM PURPOSE:
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, enacted as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,
continues the discretionary Fixed Guideway Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program, which
funds fixed guideway investments including new and expanded rapid rail, commuter rail, light
rail, streetcars, bus rapid transit, and ferries, as well as corridor-based bus rapid transit
investments that emulate the features of rail. There are three categories of eligible projects
under the CIG program: New Starts, Small Starts, and Core Capacity.
Each type of CIG project has a unique set of requirements in the law, although many similarities
exist among them. To be eligible to receive a CIG construction grant, all proposed projects must
go through a multi-year, multi-step development process outlined in the law. FTA is required to
evaluate and rate CIG projects on statutorily defined project justification and local financial
commitment criteria that differ by project type, and a project must receive at least a “Medium”
overall rating to advance through the steps in the process and receive a construction grant
award.
Statutory References: 49 U.S.C. §5309; IIJA §30005

Eligible Recipients:
State and local government agencies, including transit agencies.
Eligible Activities:
• New Starts and Small Starts: Design and construction of new fixed-guideways or
extensions to fixed guideways (projects that operate on a separate right-of-way
exclusively for public transportation, or that include a rail or a catenary system).
• Small Starts: Design and construction of corridor-based bus rapid transit projects
operating in mixed traffic that represent a substantial investment in the corridor and
emulate the features of rail.
• Core Capacity: Design and construction of a corridor-based investment in an existing
fixed guideway system that improves capacity not less than 10 percent in a corridor that
is at capacity today or will be in 10 years. The project may not include elements
designed to maintain a state of good repair.
• Joint intercity rail/public transportation project: Design and construction elements
attributable to the public transportation portion of the total project cost based on
projected use of the new segment or expanded capacity of the project corridor, not
including elements designed to achieve a state of good repair.
What’s Changed:
• Revises the Small Starts and New Starts eligibility thresholds. Small Starts are now
projects with a total estimated project cost of less than $400,000,000 and that are
seeking CIG funding of less than $150,000,000. New Starts are projects with a total
estimated project cost of $400,000,000 or more or that are seeking CIG funding of
$150,000,000 or more.
• Revises Core Capacity project eligibility to corridors that are at capacity today or will be
in 10 years, rather than in the 5-year timeframe under the FAST Act.
• Establishes a process for immediate and future bundling of projects to allow sponsors to
move multiple projects through the CIG pipeline simultaneously. The new bundling
eligibilities replace the prior “Program of Interrelated Projects” eligibility.
• Adds a requirement for the Secretary to determine that a project sponsor has made
progress toward meeting the transit asset management performance targets required
by 49 U.S.C. 5326(c)(2).
• Amends the “warrants” provisions for New Starts and Core Capacity projects to remove
the requirement that the total estimated capital cost of the project must be under
$100,000,000.
• Requires the Secretary to provide full and fair consideration to projects that seek an
updated rating after a period of inactivity following an earlier rating and evaluation.
• Adds a requirement that FTA publish no less frequently than monthly a dashboard on its
public website with information on each project seeking CIG funding.
• Before and After Study requirements (an analysis of predicted versus actual cost and
ridership outcomes after a CIG project opens for service) were revised. The

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requirement that FTA report on those studies to Congress annually was also eliminated.
Instead, the GAO, as part of its biennial review of the CIG program, will report to
Congress on the differences between the predicted and actual outcomes for CIG
projects.
Revises the congressional notification timeframe required before a CIG construction
grant can be awarded from 30 days to 15 days for New Starts and Core Capacity
projects.

Federal Share:
The maximum CIG (Sec 5309) share varies by project type, with New Starts: 60 percent, Small
Starts: 80 percent, and Core Capacity: 80 percent. Total federal funds for any project type may
not exceed 80 percent.