FTA issues $233M for rail accessibility upgrades

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced the recipients of a total $233 million in funding under its 2026 All Stations Accessibility Grants program.

The investment will help make some of the nation’s oldest and busiest passenger-rail stations accessible to strollers and wheelchairs.

The FTA is issuing funds for eight projects in five states:

• $80 million to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority to add elevators, raise platforms and improve wayfinding tools at trolley stations;
• $68 million to the Chicago-area commuter railroad Metra for accessibility improvements at the Hubbard Woods, 11th Street and Olympia Fields stations;
• $48 million to the Maryland Transit Administration for platform and passenger crossing upgrades at the Martin State Airport and Metropolitan Grove stations;
• $20 million to the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority to upgrade seven Green Line light-rail stations; 
• $14 million to the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, which owns and operates Caltrain, a commuter-rail service in Northern California, for accessibility improvements at 22nd Street station; and
• $2.5 million to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency for improvements at N Judah station.

The All Stations Accessibility Program was created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. Grants are awarded for the upgrade of legacy stations or key facilities that existed before the enactment of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and have not yet been made accessible. Applicants must provide a 20% match in funding.