Commuter rail agencies, take note: the U.S. Department of Transportation today announced a notice of funding opportunity for $199 million in competitive grant funding for Positive Train Control (PTC) implementation, which prevents accidents and saves lives. The grants, which will be selected by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and awarded and administered by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), will help commuter railroads implement PTC.

PTC technology can prevent some train-to-train collisions, over-speed derailments, incursions into work zones, and trains routed to the wrong tracks. Congress authorized the funding in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.

Any agency eligible to receive grants from the FTA, such as commuter railroads, operators, and state and local governments, can apply. Submit applications by September 28, 2016. Projects must develop information that assist in implementing PTC systems, such as technologies that will lower costs, accelerate implementation, enhance functionality between host and tenant operations, and improve reliability.