The FRA will evaluate the applications for their completeness and responsiveness to the requirements listed in §268.15. In addition, applicants are advised that the Maglev Deployment Program contains a number of project eligibility standards (minimum threshold standards) and project evaluation criteria that will guide the FRA's review of the project descriptions produced under the Planning Grants. The FRA's implementation of these standards and criteria appears in §268.11 and §268.17, respectively. Although subject to revision, the information in §268.11 and §268.17 should assist the States in completing their applications in the competition for planning grants, since the project descriptions will need to respond to the standards and criteria. In evaluating the applications for planning grants, FRA will consider how consistent the applicant's project is to the standards and criteria, and the application's likelihood of leading to a project that meets all the standards and criteria.
49 CFR § 268.19
Evaluation of applications for preconstruction planning assistance
November 18, 2020