Title 49, TransportationRelease 119-110

§5564 Interim Preservation of Certain Rail Passenger Terminals

Title 49 › SUBTITLE III — GENERAL AND INTERMODAL PROGRAMS › CHAPTER 55 — INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION › SUBCHAPTER II — TERMINALS › § 5564

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of Transportation can give money to a responsible person or a government to keep a rail passenger terminal from being torn down or falling apart while plans are made for new use. The person must be legally allowed and ready to maintain and protect the terminal. The Secretary will only award money if the terminal is likely to be turned into an intermodal transport hub, a civic or cultural center, or both, and if planning for that reuse has already started and is being done well. The money should be used first to save terminals that can be converted, are on the National Register of Historic Places, or are recommended for architectural quality by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation or the National Endowment for the Arts. A grant may not cover more than 80 percent of maintenance costs and can pay for interim care for no more than 5 years.

Full Legal Text

Title 49, §5564

Transportation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)General Grant Authority.—
Subject to subsection (b) of this section, the Secretary of Transportation may make a grant of financial assistance to a responsible person (including a governmental authority) to preserve a rail passenger terminal under section 5562(a)(2) of this title. To receive assistance under this section, the person must be qualified, prepared, committed, and authorized by law to maintain (and prevent the demolition, dismantling, or further deterioration of) the terminal until plans for its reuse are prepared.
(b)Grant Requirements.—
The Secretary of Transportation may make a grant of financial assistance under this section only if—
(1)the Secretary decides the rail passenger terminal has a reasonable likelihood of being converted to, or conditioned for reuse as, an intermodal transportation terminal, a civic or cultural activities center, or both; and
(2)planning activity directed toward conversion or reuse has begun and is proceeding in a competent way.
(c)Maximizing Preservation of Terminals.—
(1)Amounts appropriated to carry out this section and section 5562(a)(2) of this title shall be expended in the way most likely to maximize the preservation of rail passenger terminals that are—
(A)reasonably capable of conversion to intermodal transportation terminals;
(B)listed in the National Register of Historic Places maintained by the Secretary of the Interior; or
(C)recommended (on the basis of architectural integrity and quality) by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation or the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.
(2)The Secretary of Transportation may not make a grant under this section for more than 80 percent of the total cost of maintaining the terminal for an interim period of not more than 5 years.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 5564(a)49 App.:1653(i)(3) (1st sentence words before proviso).Oct. 15, 1966, Pub. L. 89–670, 80 Stat. 931, § 4(i)(3); added Oct. 28, 1974, Pub. L. 93–496, §§ 6, 15, 88 Stat. 1529, 1533; Oct. 5, 1978, Pub. L. 95–421, § 14, 92 Stat. 929. 5564(b)49 App.:1653(i)(3) (1st sentence proviso). 5564(c)49 App.:1653(i)(3) (2d, last sentences). In subsection (a), the words “Subject to subsection (b) of this section” are added for clarity. The word “authority” is substituted for “entity” for consistency in the revised title. The words “in accordance with

Regulations

” and “applicable” are omitted as surplus. In subsection (b), the words before clause (1) are substituted for “Provided, That” for clarity and consistency in the revised title. In subsection (c)(2), the words “The Secretary of Transportation may not make a grant” are substituted for “The amount of the Federal share of any grant . . . shall not exceed” for clarity and consistency in this chapter.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

49 U.S.C. § 5564

Title 49, Transportation

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110