Capital Investment Grants - 5309

This FTA discretionary grant program funds transit capital investments, including heavy rail, commuter rail, light rail, streetcars and bus rapid transit. Federal transit law requires transit agencies seeking CIG funding to complete a series of steps over several years.  

For New Starts and Core Capacity projects, the law requires completion of two phases in advance of receipt of a construction grant agreement – Project Development and Engineering. For Small Starts projects, the law requires completion of one phase in advance of receipt of a construction grant agreement – Project Development.  The law also requires projects to be rated by FTA at various points in the process according to statutory criteria evaluating project justification and local financial commitment. 

To learn more, see our Capital Investment Grants (CIG) landing page. For more information about the CIG process and the evaluation criteria, see FTA’s Policy Guidance.