President Donald Trump’s administration plans to spend a little more than $2 billion on the Federal Railroad Administration in 2021 compared to nearly $2.8 billion budgeted in 2020 and the nearly $2.9 billion spent in 2019. Federal fiscal years begin on Oct. 1 of the calendar year prior. The transportation department budget highlights are part of the larger budget proposal the Trump administration is proposing to Congress.
Amtrak will be hit particularly hard by the proposals with a reshuffling of dollars away from the passenger railroad’s Northeast Corridor and National Network Grants to a line item called “National Network Transformation Grants — Long Distance Routes” that will be funded to the tune of $550 million. Yet, the overall grants to Amtrak is project to fall from $2 billion in the 2020 budget, to just less than $1.5 billion in 2021.
Amtrak and FRA representatives did not immediately respond to a Trains emailed request for comment.
The Trump Administration budget would also zero out funding for State of Good Repair funds, Restoration and Enhancement Grants, and Magnetic Levitation, or MagLev, development, or $204 million less than in 2020’s budget for those three items.
Journalists in a Monday afternoon conference call with Transportation Department officials asked several questions about the New York City-area Gateway Project. The project, among other things, would add an additional tunnel bore between New York City and New Jersey to increase capacity on the Northeast Corridor for Amtrak and NJ Transit trains. Federal Transit Administration officials say that Gateway is among the projects that will be ranked in a report to be released later on Monday, but that no specific dollar amount will be tied to the project.
The FRA’s budget items also include $50 million in user fees to be paid by railroads for the benefit they receive from FRA’s work on railroading. FRA and Association of American Railroad representatives did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.
Another budget highlight for railroading is $8 million for an “Automated Track Inspection Program.” Railroads are privately, and with government agencies, developing better inspection methods, using aerial drones in certain cases. Trains has asked for FRA clarification on the line item.
More information is available online.
