Federal Railroad Administration Announces 2026 Applications for Corridor Identification and Development Program
January 28, 2026
Good news for new corridors. In December, the Federal Railroad Administration announced it would be accepting applications in 2026 for its Corridor Identification and Development program. The Corridor ID program is intended to provide a pipeline of new passenger rail projects across the US. Projects could provide additional frequency (additional trains per day), new service, and extension of existing service.
All Aboard Minnesota (AAMN) is asking the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to be ready to submit two applications for the 2026 funding round. One application would propose to study additional service on the corridor between Saint Paul and Fargo/Moorhead and the other to study new service on the corridor between Saint Paul and Kansas City. We are also asking the Minnesota legislature to direct MnDOT to make these applications.
The FRA funded 69 projects in the first funding round in 2022. Projects most relevant to Minnesota are shown below.
| Funded Corridor Study | Proposer | Collaborators |
| Northern Lights Express (NLX) from Minneapolis to Duluth | MnDOT | WISDOT |
| Second Daily Borealis via La Crosse | WISDOT | MnDOT |
| Eau Claire-Twin Cities new service on an existing alignment | Eau Claire County, WI | MnDOT and WISDOT |
| Milwaukee-Madison-Eau Claire-Twin Cities through Madison WI. | WISDOT | MnDOT |
| Big Sky North Coast – Chicago to Seattle/Portland through southern MT | Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority | MnDOT, WISDOT, others |
In December, the FRA stated that a number of projects funded in 2022 would soon be given approval to advance to Step 2 of the Corridor ID process. AAMN hopes that Northern Lights Express (NLX) and other projects in the Midwest would move to Step 2. Step two requires a local match of 10 percent, which the Minnesota Legislature has already allocated for NLX.