More Thursday morning rail news in brief:
Appropriations bill would block Amtrak service reductions
Amtrak and public transportation would receive at least $26 billion in emergency aid under the fiscal 2021 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bill proposed by the House Appropriations Committee — but the money for Amtrak would be tied to a requirement that the passenger railroad cannot discontinue or reduce frequencies on any of its routes. In a press release, Jim Mathews, CEO of the Rail Passengers Association, said the bill shows “Congress is really listening to Americans and recognizing tine critical role passenger rail and public transit have always played in economic resilience.” The bill would allocate $2.05 billion for Amtrak as part of its core appropriation, maintaining the $1.3 billion for long-distance trains, while the emergency provisions would include $5 billion for the Northeast Corridor and $3 billion for the national network. The complete text of the bill is available here.
Alstom would sell factory, make other concessions to get approval for Bombardier deal
Alstom has offered to sell a factory in France and make other concessions as part of its effort to win approval from European regulators for its proposed merger with Bombardier. Reuters reports other moves would include selling its Coradia Polyvalent — a dual-mode or electric version of a multiple-unit trainset popular throughout Europe — and a Bombardier commuter rail operation and related plant in Germany. The European Union is due to decide on July 16 whether the proposed 6.2 billion Euro ($7 billion) deal, which would create the world’s second largest rail equipment supplier in an effort to compete with China’s CRRC, requires further scrutiny.
Wainscott joins CSX board of directors
James L. Wainscott, retired CEO of AK Steel Holding Corp., has been appointed to the CSX Corp. board of directors. “I am pleased to welcome Jim to the CSX board of directors and look forward to benefiting from his insight and experience having led one of the nation’s premier steel producers,” John J. Zillmer, chairman of the board, said in a press release. “Jim’s deep knowledge of key industrial markets and his proven leadership will be assets to CSX as we work to strengthen our position as North America’s best-run railroad.” Wainscott retired as CEO of AK Steel in 2015 and as its board chairman in 2016.
