Action
Notice; extension of comment period and due date for Statements of Interest.
Summary
On April 13, 2004, FRA published a Notice of Funds Availability and Request for Comment in the Federal Register (69 FR 19612) soliciting comments from interested parties on how the Secretary of Transportation, working with affected States, could develop and implement a procedure for fair competitive bidding by Amtrak and non- Amtrak operators for State-supported intercity passenger rail routes. FRA also encouraged interested States to submit a Statement of Interest in receiving a grant to support an initiative leading to a fair and open competitive selection of an operator to provide passenger rail service over a specific intercity route that receives or will receive State financial support. Responses to the notice were due on or before May 28, 2004. In order to provide interested applicants with additional time to submit Statements of Interest or comments, FRA has decided to extend the due date for these submissions until June 28, 2004. All of the other requirements included in the original Notice of Funds Availability and Request for Comment remain unchanged.