U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced the availability of approximately $686 million in competitive grant funding from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to modernize some of the nation's oldest and busiest rail transit stations.

“USDOT is ensuring infrastructure projects prioritize safety, efficiency, and the well-being of American families," Duffy said in a release. "Ensuring young families with strollers and our elderly using wheelchairs are able to navigate our transit systems in an investment taxpayers will see make a real difference in their communities."

The FTA is making competitive funding available through the Fiscal Year 2025 and 2026 budgets to transit agencies for financing capital projects to repair, improve, modify, retrofit, or relocate station infrastructure, making all public areas of the station more accessible for families and people with disabilities.

FTA 2026 Funding Priorities and Application Details

According to the release, the Notice of Funding Opportunity focuses on several priority considerations for funding, including:

• Benefits for Families and Communities: how a project will improve the accessibility of transportation for families with young children, including those with strollers, and will improve access to jobs, healthcare facilities, recreational activities, and commercial activity.
• Wayfinding Improvements: how a project will include universal wayfinding tools and signage to support individuals with disabilities (including persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, with sensory disabilities, and who use wheelchairs), such as: plain language instructions using large print and simplified language; directional pathways and floor markings; synchronized visual and audio announcements; and real-time information displays that are easy to interpret and located throughout passenger waiting areas.
• Reduce Project Costs and Improve Project Delivery (capital projects only): how a project prioritizes efficiency and speed in project implementation, including strategies that provide longer work windows that allow time for concentrated and consistent work that shortens the project schedule and reduces costs.

Instructions for applying and eligibility information are available on Grants.gov (FTA-2026-001-TPM-ASAP). Complete proposals must be submitted electronically through the Grants.gov "Apply" function by May 1, 2026.