In this chapter:

(1) Applicant.—The term "applicant" means a State (including the District of Columbia), a group of States, an Interstate Compact, or a public agency established by one or more States and having responsibility for providing intercity passenger rail service.

(2) Capital project.—The term "capital project" means a project or program in a State rail plan developed under chapter 227 of this title for—

(A) acquiring, constructing, improving, or inspecting equipment, track and track structures, or a facility for use in or for the primary benefit of intercity passenger rail service, expenses incidental to the acquisition or construction (including designing, engineering, location surveying, mapping, environmental studies, and acquiring rights-of-way), payments for the capital portions of rail trackage rights agreements, highway-rail grade crossing improvements related to intercity passenger rail service, mitigating environmental impacts, communication and signalization improvements, relocation assistance, acquiring replacement housing sites, and acquiring, constructing, relocating, and rehabilitating replacement housing;

(B) rehabilitating, remanufacturing or overhauling rail rolling stock and facilities used primarily in intercity passenger rail service;

(C) costs associated with developing State rail plans; and

(D) the first-dollar liability costs for insurance related to the provision of intercity passenger rail service under section 22904.

(3) Intercity passenger rail service.—The term "intercity passenger rail service" means intercity rail passenger transportation, as defined in section 24102 of this title.