WASHINGTON — Amtrak and funding for rail-related grant programs fared far better with Senate appropriators on Thursday than they did last week with those in the House of Representatives.
Transportation spending for fiscal 2024 in a bill approved by the Senate Committee on Appropriations includes some $2.45 billion for Amtrak operations and state-of-good repair funding, maintaining 2023 funding levels. It also preserves the RAISE grant program for transportation infrastructure projects, according to the committee’s bill summary.
The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bill passed on a 29-0 vote. In a press release, committee chair Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash) called it “a strong bipartisan bill that makes critical investments to address the shortage of air traffic controllers and reduce flight delays, improve rail safety after recent, deeply concerning derailments, and continue investing in the infrastructure that helps Americans get to where they need to be.”
As outlined in the bill summary, the legislation addresses safety concerns arising from the February derailment and toxic-chemical release in East Palestine, Ohio, by increasing funding by $32 million for the Federal Railroad Administration safety and operations budget, and requiring research into wayside detection and related alerts and responses, as well as safety of long trains.
The Amtrak funding include $1.141 billion for the Northeast Corridor and $1.313 billion for the National Network, as detailed in the bill report. That would maintain the total figure from 2023, although assigning a slightly larger percentage to the National Network than a year ago. Other figures of note include $573 million for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program, and $100 million for the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grants.
These figures are in addition to advance appropriations under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which will, in the case of Amtrak, lead to overall funding of $2.341 billion for the Northeast Corridor and $4.513 billion for the National Network.
The appropriations approved by the Democratic-controlled Senate are in sharp contrast to those approved last week by the Republican-controlled House. The House Appropriations committee approved $875 million in funding for Amtrak, a dramatic cut from 2023 [see “House Republicans propose 64% cut to Amtrak …,” Trains News Wire, July 12, 2023]. The House also recommended $258.5 million for the CRISI program, a cut of more than 50% from fiscal 2023, and sought to zero out the RAISE program and to eliminate all intercity passenger grant funding beyond the $7.2 billion previously guaranteed by the IIJA.
Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner, who had warned that the House proposal would “stop the advancement of passenger rail in its tracks,” welcomed the Senate bill.
“The proposed funding for Fiscal Year 2024 will allow Amtrak to continue to operate and maintain America’s railroad by ensuring our long-distance trains connect rural towns to the national transportation network, making important investments in Northeast Corridor assets, and partnering with states on short-distance corridors,” Gardner said in a statement. “We appreciate the committee’s prudent investment in passenger rail, particularly in this challenging fiscal environment, and we look forward to the bill advancing through the appropriations process.”
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