Eligible projects include those that expand or establish new intercity passenger and high-speed rail service, improve the performance of existing service and/or replace or rehabilitate rail infrastructure.
The leases are in regions near Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine that could produce about 13 gigawatts of clean energy, enough to power more than 4.5 million homes.
Agency has received $3.4 billion in federal funds for a rail project around San Francisco that will eventually connect to a planned high-speed rail system