[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 49, Volume 4]
[Revised as of October 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 49CFR268.17]

[Page 732-733]
 
                        TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION
 
       CHAPTER II--FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF 
                             TRANSPORTATION
 
PART 268--MAGNETIC LEVITATION TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY DEPLOYMENT PROGRAM--Table of Contents
 
             Subpart B--Procedures For Financial Assistance
 
Sec. 268.17  Project selection criteria.

    Except as qualified by Sec. 268.19, the following criteria will 
govern FRA's selection of projects to receive funding under the Maglev 
Deployment Program.
    (a) Purpose and significance of the project.
    (1) The degree to which the project description demonstrates 
attractiveness to travelers, as measured in passengers and passenger-
miles.
    (2) The extent to which implementation of the project will reduce 
congestion, and attendant delay costs, in other modes of transportation; 
will reduce emissions and/or energy consumption; or will reduce the rate 
of growth in needs for additional highway or airport construction. 
Measures for this criterion will include but not be limited to the 
present value of congestion reduction, pollution reduction, and/or 
facility cost-avoidance benefits.
    (3) The degree to which the project will demonstrate the variety of 
operating conditions which are to be expected in the United States.
    (4) The degree to which the project will augment a Maglev corridor 
or network that has been identified, by any State, group of States, or 
the FRA, as having Partnership Potential.
    (b) Timely implementation. The speed with which the project can 
realistically be brought into full revenue service, based on the project 
description and on the current and projected development status of the 
Maglev technology selected by the applicant for the project.
    (c) Benefits for the American economy. The extent to which the 
project is expected to create new jobs in traditional and emerging 
industries in the United States.
    (d) Partnership potential. The degree to which the project 
description demonstrates Partnership Potential for the corridor in which 
it is involved, and/or for the project independently.
    (e) Funding limits and sources. (1) The extent and proportion to 
which States, regions, and localities commit to financially contributing 
to the project, both in terms of their own locally-raised, entirely non-
Federal funds, and in terms of commitments of scarce Federal resources 
from non-Maglev funds; and

[[Page 733]]

    (2) The extent and proportion to which the private sector 
contributes financially to the project.

    Note to Sec. 268.17: FRA recognizes that applicants for 
preconstruction planning assistance may not have detailed information 
with respect to each of these criteria, and that the purpose of the 
preconstruction planning assistance is to develop much of this 
information with respect to a particular Maglev project. The 
preconstruction planning application requirements of this part 268 are 
designed to elicit whatever information an applicant may have pertaining 
to these criteria.