Section 268.17 - Project selection criteriaExcept as qualified by § 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(2) The extent and proportion to which the private sector contributes financially to the project. Note to § 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.