Federal sub-agency · Department of Transportation

Federal Railroad Administration

Federal Railroad Administration obligated $97.8M on federal contracts in FY2026 across 366 contract actions (+48% vs FY2025). Its largest recipient was ENSCO INC ($32.4M). It also awarded $12.2B in federal grants and other assistance in FY2026.

Obligations · FY2026
$97.8M
Actions
366
New awards: 70
Sole-source
13%
Small business
36%
Open in the contracts explorerRelationship graphFederal contracts

Spending by fiscal year

Obligations per federal fiscal year (October–September).

  1. 61.9MFY2017
  2. 78.6MFY2018
  3. 73.6MFY2019
  4. 76.1MFY2020
  5. 70.7MFY2021
  6. 94.9MFY2022
  7. 93.5MFY2023
  8. 103.9MFY2024
  9. 66.3MFY2025
  10. 97.8MFY2026

Top recipients

Obligations in FY2026.

  1. ENSCO INC$32.4M33%
  2. TRANSYSTEMS CORPORATION$15.3M16%
  3. STRONGBRIDGE LLC$7.3M7.4%
  4. BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC$3.3M3.4%
  5. DUOS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.$2.6M2.6%
  6. ALLEN OVERY SHEARMAN STERLING US LLP$2.1M2.1%
  7. SHARMA & ASSOCIATES INC$1.9M2.0%
  8. RAILINC CORP$1.9M1.9%
  9. INSTITUTE FOR BUILDING TECHNOLOGY AND SAFETY$1.8M1.9%
  10. DYNAMIC GOVERNMENT RESOURCES 2 LLC$1.5M1.5%

What was bought · Where the work was performed

Obligations in FY2026.

What was bought

  1. Professional services$52M53%
  2. Research & development$30.3M31%
  3. IT & telecom$10.3M10%
  4. Construction & real property$3.8M3.9%
  5. Equipment maintenance$739.1K0.8%
  6. Other equipment & supplies$503.7K0.5%
  7. Education & social services$275.4K0.3%

Where the work was performed

  1. Virginia$38.6M39%
  2. District of Columbia$21.4M22%
  3. Colorado$16.6M17%
  4. Florida$3.8M3.9%
  5. California$3.4M3.5%
  6. Maryland$2.6M2.7%
  7. Illinois$2.5M2.6%
  8. Texas$2M2.1%
  9. North Carolina$1.9M1.9%
  10. Pennsylvania$982.5K1.0%

Integrity signals

Shares of the year's obligations, next to the country's.

  • Low competition22%
    US 39% · $21.1M
  • Sole-source awards13%
    US 30% · $12.6M
  • Single-offer competitions8.7%
    US 8.8% · $8.5M
  • Urgency justifications0.4%
    US 5.1% · $372.9K
  • Year-end rush23%
    US 5.6% · $22.5M
  • Undefinitized contracts0.0%
    US 5.0% · $0
  • Time-and-materials pricing9.6%
    US 4.2% · $9.4M

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Offices with the most sole-source money

  1. 693JJ6 FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMIN$12.6M13%

Largest awards

  1. THE GOVERNMENT HAS A NEED FOR CONTRACTED SERVICES SUPPORTING THE AUTOMATED TRACK INSPECTION PROGRAM (ATIP). ATIP PROVIDES GUIDANCE AND UNDERSTANDING REGARDING ON-TRACK SAFETY REQUIREMENTS, GEOMETRY MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY, OPERATION, AND NATIONAL DEPL$68.9M
    ENSCO INC· Fairfax County, VA· Professional services· Mar 27, 2023 – Sep 29, 2026· 693JJ623C000003
  2. THE CONTRACTOR SHALL PROVIDE ALL PERSONNEL, EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES, FACILITIES, TRANSPORTATION, TOOLS, MATERIALS, SUPERVISION, AND OTHER ITEMS AND NON-PERSONAL SERVICES NECESSARY TO PROVIDE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE, SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION, SHAREPOINT$30.1M
    STRONGBRIDGE LLC· Loudoun County, VA· IT & telecom· Jul 30, 2021 – Sep 23, 2026· 693JJ621F000034
  3. NEW YORK PENN STATION SERVICE OPTIMIZATION STUDY$14.8M
    KIMLEY-HORN AND ASSOCIATES INC· District of Columbia, DC· Professional services· Sep 24, 2025 – Sep 22, 2026· 693JJ625F00028N
  4. RAILROAD SAFETY INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SUPPORT (RSIMS) SWES BPA CALL ORDER WITH A ONE YEAR BASE PERIOD AND FOUR OPTION YEAR PERIODS. OPTION CLINS ARE SUBJECT TO THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.$14M
    SPATIAL FRONT INC· Montgomery County, MD· IT & telecom· Jun 30, 2021 – Jul 7, 2026· 693JJ621F000021
  5. SUPPORT FOR THE AMTRAK DAILY LONG-DISTANCE SERVICE STUDY PROJECT$12.6M
    AECOM TECHNICAL SERVICES, INC.· Los Angeles County, CA· Professional services· Aug 31, 2022 – Sep 9, 2026· 693JJ622F00017N
  6. THE CONTRACTOR SHALL SUPPORT THE PLANNING, RESEARCH, ANALYSIS, COORDINATION, OUTREACH, AND FACILITATION ACTIVITIES REQUIRED TO INFORM THE AGENCY'S DECISIONS ON PASSENGER RAIL GOVERNANCE AND RESTRUCTURE IMPLEMENTATION.$11M
    TRANSYSTEMS CORPORATION· District of Columbia, DC· Professional services· Apr 6, 2026 – Sep 4, 2026· 693JJ626F00006N
  7. THE GOVERNMENT HAS A NEED FOR CONTRACTED SERVICES SUPPORTING THE AUTOMATED TRACK INSPECTION PROGRAM (ATIP). ATIP PROVIDES GUIDANCE AND UNDERSTANDING REGARDING ON-TRACK SAFETY REQUIREMENTS, GEOMETRY MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY, OPERATION, AND NATIONAL DEPL$9.8M
    TETRA TECH RAILAI INC· Duval County, FL· Professional services· Mar 27, 2023 – Aug 3, 2026· 693JJ623C000004
  8. MTAS AMTRAK CALL ORDER$5.5M
    BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC· Fairfax County, VA· Professional services· Aug 31, 2022 – Jun 3, 2026· 693JJ622F00009N

Federal grants & assistance awarded

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

Federal Railroad Administration obligated $12.2B in federal assistance in FY2026, on 421 actions (202 new awards), −32% vs FY2025. Its largest program was 20.315 · National Railroad Passenger Corporation Grants ($6.7B).

Assistance · FY2026
$12.2B
New awards
202
Actions
421
Since FY2021
$64.3B

Assistance by fiscal year

  1. 5.9BFY2021
  2. 7.1BFY2022
  3. 7.4BFY2023
  4. 13.8BFY2024
  5. 17.9BFY2025
  6. 12.2BFY2026

By type

  1. Grants$12.2B100%

Top programs

  1. 20.315 · National Railroad Passenger Corporation Grants$6.7B55%
  2. 20.340 · Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program$2.2B18%
  3. 20.337 · Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program$1.7B14%
  4. 20.326 · Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail$768.7M6.3%
  5. 20.327 · Railroad Crossing Elimination$453.4M3.7%
  6. 20.338 · Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program – Special Transportation Circumstances$109.2M0.9%
  7. 20.314 · Railroad Development$89M0.7%
  8. 20.324 · Restoration and Enhancement$77.4M0.6%

Top recipients (organizations)

  1. NATIONAL RAILROAD PASSENGER CORPORATION$8.4B69%
    WASHINGTON, DC
  2. NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$672.6M5.5%
    RALEIGH, NC
  3. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION CONNECTICUT$593.3M4.9%
    NEWINGTON, CT
  4. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NEW YORK$237.2M1.9%
    ALBANY, NY
  5. VIRGINIA PASSENGER RAIL AUTHORITY$162.6M1.3%
    RICHMOND, VA
  6. PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$154.9M1.3%
    HARRISBURG, PA
  7. NORTH CAROLINA RAILROAD COMPANY$105.6M0.9%
    RALEIGH, NC
  8. OMNITRAX HOLDINGS COMBINED INC$91.5M0.8%
    DENVER, CO

Where it went

  1. District of Columbia$6.9B57%
  2. Maryland$788.9M6.5%
  3. North Carolina$762.3M6.3%
  4. Connecticut$589.7M4.8%
  5. Pennsylvania$589.5M4.8%
  6. New Jersey$285.8M2.3%
  7. New York$250.1M2.1%
  8. California$205.5M1.7%
  9. Virginia$168.6M1.4%
  10. Mississippi$90.3M0.7%

By state of the place of performance.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 8, 2026, loaded Oct 8, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Subawards under this agency's awards

First-tier subawards that recipients of this agency's contracts and financial assistance reported, by the fiscal year of the subaward.

FY2026

  • Sub-contracts: $96.1K (2 subawards)
  • Sub-grants: $64.8M (17 subawards)

17 sub-recipients

Largest sub-recipients

  1. SISSETON MILBANK RAILROAD CO$28M43%
    GLENCOE, MN · 2 subawards
  2. DAKOTA MISSOURI VALLEY AND WESTERN RAILROAD INC$17.6M27%
    BISMARCK, ND · 1 subaward
  3. L. G. EVERIST, INCORPORATED$10M15%
    SIOUX FALLS, SD · 1 subaward
  4. MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY, INC$2.6M4.0%
    SOUTH BEND, IN · 1 subaward
  5. NORTH CAROLINA RAILROAD COMPANY$1.3M1.9%
    RALEIGH, NC · 1 subaward
  6. SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION$1.2M1.8%
    SAN JOSE, CA · 1 subaward
  7. BELLE FOURCHE DEVELOPMENT CORP$963.4K1.5%
    BELLE FOURCHE, SD · 1 subaward
  8. RAPID CITY, PIERRE & EASTERN RAILROAD, INC.$878.9K1.4%
    WEST HENRIETTA, NY · 1 subaward
  9. BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA$804.3K1.2%
    LINCOLN, NE · 1 subaward
  10. CITY OF GRAND ISLAND$600K0.9%
    GRAND ISLAND, NE · 1 subaward

Primes report first-tier subawards of $30,000 or more themselves, and many go unreported (GAO-24-106214). Reporting moved from FSRS to SAM.gov in March 2025 and fewer sub-contracts have been reported since. Amounts are what primes reported; they are never added to prime award totals.

Source: Subawards (first-tier sub-contracts and sub-grants reported under FFATA) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov (reports filed in SAM.gov, formerly FSRS)), data current to Oct 8, 2026, loaded Oct 8, 2026 · Subawards loaded from FY2021.

Who lobbies this agency

Organizations whose quarterly lobbying reports list this agency as contacted, ranked by the reports' spending. A report's amount covers all its issues and every agency it lists; reports do not split it.

Lobbying in 2026
$24.9M
Clients
93
Reports
174

The whole amount of every report that lists this agency.

Organizations lobbying it, 2026

  1. UNION PACIFIC CORP.$2.4M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Railroads, Transportation, Budget and appropriations
  2. BNSF RAILWAY COMPANYAI match · 100%$1.9M
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Railroads, Transportation, Budget and appropriations
  3. SIEMENS CORPORATIONAI match · 98%$1.8M
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Transportation, Budget and appropriations, Trade (domestic and foreign)
  4. NORFOLK SOUTHERN CORPORATION$1.5M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Railroads, Budget and appropriations, Trade (domestic and foreign)
  5. Land O'Lakes, Inc.AI match · 100%$1.4M
    No FY2026 contracts in its family · Railroads, Transportation, Budget and appropriations
  6. BLH Capital & Management Services LLC$1.3M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Railroads, Budget and appropriations
  7. AECOMAI match · 100%$1M
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Transportation, Budget and appropriations, Trade (domestic and foreign)
  8. American Public Transportation Association$1M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Transportation, Budget and appropriations, Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code
  9. CSX CORPORATION$930K
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Railroads, Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code, Trade (domestic and foreign)
  10. AMERICAN FED OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, AFL-CIO$800K
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Transportation, Budget and appropriations, Labor issues, antitrust and workplace
  11. RENEWABLE FUELS ASSOCIATION$793.2K
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Railroads, Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code, Trade (domestic and foreign)
  12. TRANSPORTATION TRADES DEPARTMENT, AFL-CIO$780K
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Railroads, Transportation, Budget and appropriations
  13. CUMMINS INC.AI match · 99%$689.6K
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Transportation, Budget and appropriations, Trade (domestic and foreign)
  14. BUNGE NORTH AMERICA INCAI match · 100%$630K
    No FY2026 contracts in its family · Transportation, Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code, Trade (domestic and foreign)
  15. GATX CORPORATION$630K
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Railroads, Transportation, Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code

6 more clients ($138K) are counted but not named: their names may be a person's.

Lobbying amounts are the filers' own good-faith estimates on quarterly LD-2 reports (the law asks for amounts rounded to $10,000; under $5,000 need not be itemized), latest amendment only. When an organization files its own report, it replaces what outside firms report for it that quarter. Matches are by name. Lobbying and political giving are legal and public: they show engagement with government, not influence over any award. Correlation is not influence: these organizations' lobbying and their contracts are shown side by side, and nothing here implies either affected the other.

Source: Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026 · 2023–2026.

Source: Committees, candidates and committee contributions to candidates (Federal Election Commission), data current to Oct 8, 2026, loaded Oct 8, 2026 · 2026, 2024, 2022.

Matches: Analisa AI name judgments (entity-match@1), updated Oct 5, 2026.

Committees that oversee and fund it

Congressional committees whose jurisdiction includes this agency, and the appropriations subcommittees that write its spending bill (Analisa's reading of the House and Senate rules; committees share jurisdiction). Leaders as currently published.

…

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026.