U.S. Department of Homeland Security 
Washington, DC 20528 


Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 Freight Rail Security Grant Program 
(FRSGP) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

1. 
What is the purpose of the FY 2011 FRSGP? 
In FY 2011, the FRSGP will fund freight railroad carriers, and owners and offerors of 
railroad cars to protect critical surface transportation infrastructure from acts of terrorism and 
increase the resilience of the freight rail system. 

2. 
How much funding was available under the FY 2011 FRSGP? 
The total amount of funds distributed under the FY 2011 FRSGP was $7,745,544. 

3. 
Who was eligible to apply for FY 2011 FRSGP funds? 
Eligible applicants for the FY 2011 FRSGP were determined by DHS as Class I, II and III 
freight railroad carriers that transport Rail Security-Sensitive Materials (RSSM) and owners 
and offerors of railroad cars that transport toxic inhalation hazardous (TIH) materials. For 
the purposes of this grant program, “offerors” were entities that lease rail cars in order to ship 
TIH materials by railroad. 

As designated by the Surface Transportation Board, a Class I railroad carrier is defined as a 
railroad with annual operating revenues for 2005 of over $319.2 million; a Class II railroad 
carrier is defined as a railroad with annual operating revenues of between $25.5 million and 
$319.2 million; and a Class III railroad carrier is defined as a railroad with annual operating 
revenues of less than $25.5 million. 

Class I, II, and III freight railroad carriers must have met the following criteria in order to be 
eligible: 

. 
They must transport RSSM. RSSM is defined in 49 CFR Part 1580.100 B as: (1) A 
rail car containing more than 2,268 kg (5,000 lbs) of a Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 
(explosive) material, as defined in 49 CFR 173.50; (2) A tank car containing a 
material poisonous by inhalation as defined in 49 CFR 171.8, including anhydrous 
ammonia, Division 2.3 gases poisonous by inhalation as set forth in 49 CFR 
173.115(c), and Division 6.1 liquids meeting the defining criteria in 49 CFR 
173.132(a)(1)(iii) and assigned to hazard zone A or hazard zone B in accordance with 
49 CFR 173.133(a), excluding residue quantities of these materials; and (3) A rail car 
containing a highway route-controlled quantity of a Class 7 (radioactive) material, as 
defined in 49 CFR 173.403. 

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. 
They must operate in or through a High Threat Urban Areas (HTUA), as subject to 
the forthcoming “Rail Transportation Security Final Rule,” and as identified in Table 
1 of the FY 2010 FRSGP Guidance and Application Kit. 

. 
They must certify that they have developed and adhere to a vulnerability assessment 
and security plan that conforms to the requirements of 49 CFR 172.802. 

Owners and offerors of railroad cars must have met the following criteria in order to be 
eligible: 

. 
The railroad cars must transport rail TIH. For the purpose of this grant, TIH is 
defined as: a tank car containing a material poisonous by inhalation, as defined in 49 
CFR 171.8, including anhydrous ammonia but excluding residue quantities of these 
materials. 

. 
Travel from, to or through a HTUA. 

4. 
How were the FY 2011 FRSGP funds determined? 
Applicants were selected through a competitive process based on their ability to respond to 
program priorities, including vulnerability assessments and security plans, training to 
frontline personnel, security-related exercises, GPS tracking on railroad cars, and 
infrastructure hardening on rail bridges. 

5. 
What legislation authorized funding for the FY 2011 FRSGP? 
The Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 (Public Law 
112-10) provided funding for this program. 

6. 
Where is the FY 2011 FRSGP Guidance and Application Kit located? 
The FY 2011 FRSGP Guidance and Application Kit is located online at 
http://www.fema.gov/grants as well as on http://www.grants.gov. 


7. 
What other resources are available to address programmatic, technical, and financial 
questions? 
. 
For additional program-specific information, please contact the Centralized 
Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID) help line at (800) 368-6498 or 
askcsid@dhs.gov. CSID hours of operation are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST, 
Monday through Friday. 

. 
For financial-related questions, including pre-and post-award administration and 
technical assistance, applicants may contact the FEMA Grant Programs Directorate 
Call Center at (866) 927-5646 or via e-mail to ASK-GMD@dhs.gov. 

8. 
What is the FY 2011 FRSGP period of performance? 
The period of performance of this grant is 36 months. 

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