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.”
Although it was anticipated the Schumer-controlled Senate would override and reverse the GOP House vote cutting funds for Amtrak, those cheering on the sidelines do not realize we are at risk of losing our potential leverage to stop the inevitable debacle for Amtrak.
More than the need to possess sufficient equipment, Amtraks lacks the organizational expertise critically required to consistently make correct decisions impacting equipment maintenance and utilization, consists, OTP, revenues, and customer experience. Compounding such a vapid corporate management group, other than ex-FRA Sarah Feinberg, Amtrak’s Board is in its own rabbit hole lacking the requisite experience-and numbers-to competently provide a stewardship to ensure full accountability that management embraces correct decisions.
Indeed, to what extent are three of the four proposals for Amtrak to modify maintenance facilities on the NEC due to the failure to expand the same facilities several years ago in preparation for the new, longer Acela trainsets? However, under the same Amtrak leadership of Board Chair Coscia and CEO Gardner, this requirement was “overlooked;” at great expense now for Amtrak to correct. Due to the lack of a viable Board, their has consistently been a lack of a check and balance approach to guide and hold corporate management accountable. Remember the pandemic decision to cut seasoned maintenance forces and how trains continue to run short consists today?
Withholding funding would force the change in Amtrak leadership of Coscia and Gardner so critical for its survival. By Congress taking such action would achieve respect within the industry; enable recruitment of experienced members to serve on the Board, beyond the parochial self interests of New York’s Senator Schumer and Board Chair Coscia.
What strikes me in all these comments about taking a train vs flying and driving is the absence of any reference to the respective impacts on the environment of these transportation modes. It is impossible nowadays to ignore that flying heavily contributes to climate change. Have you noticed, dear fellow readers of News Wire (excellent source of information btw) that this 2023 Summer offfers a mixture of all that can go wrong, climate-wise, around the earth? Or are you blind, or don’t you care about the world where we, our children / grand-children will live in? I am well aware that traveling by train in North America is far less easy than in Europe. But boasting about flying now borders on unconsciousness and irresponsibility.
Charles- You mentioned Denver Intl Airport as one of the busy airports where people are flying in and out of it. Denver is one of those cities that are lucky enough to have public rail transit and bus talso connecting the airport to the main part of the city and the business and commercial hub. Many cities do have good transit service and connections from the airport to the city. The only drawback and time lost and wasted is when you land and have to scramble to find transportation into the city be it private auto or ride share services which can be very expensive and time consuming. Here in Orlando which boasts one of the largest and busiest airports in the country, there is no decent public transit connections into the downtown business district and commercial hub of Orlando. No rail connection {Maybe some day Sunrail will finally build that connection to the airport. Only one bus line operated by Lynx operates between their downtown terminal and the airport and that shuts down at midnight and on Sunday at 8pm. Until Brightline begins regular service between the airport and Miami, there is no transit links serving Orland Airport. Just auto traffic and which the roads and highways here are just saturated with autos and more and more coming. Many cities and towns have the same issue also Fast air travel to your destination but time eaten up and wasted trying to get from the airport to your final destination. Driving is a hassle and traveling by car is slow and time consumingand can be very expensive with gas, and in the case of taxi or the ride share services the fares are also very expensive
By the way, I like airplanes I like to watch them land and take off and I have made several trips by airplane Most recently to California to visit Family and friends. I flew on Southwest Airlines which is my favorite and they have the most colorful design and nicest looking planes of any airline. Been trying to get a model of one for my model airplane collection but haven’t come across one yet
I like trains, planes and ships but my passion is trains and railroads and Im both a railfan, train buff and model railroader. So excuse my excitment and passion on trains if it reflects in the posts I submit here
Joseph C. Markfelder
Chuck Schumer, Biden’s little pooch, is hiding and smiling behind this bill somewhere, Patty Murray just took the hit for him…
Neither body will move and it will all be fleshed out in the conference committee or it will be killed and they will have to start over another year… Too bad that is how our government works but when you lack guts, you create all kinds of ways to get out of being put on the spot. It took making Conrail a quasi public railroad for it to become a success. I think it is going to take the same thing for Amtrak… unfortunately 50 years too late…
It’s been 52 years since its founding, and the number of valuable tips Amtrak (and U.S. executives) can learn from passenger rail businesses in Europe, Japan, and even China continues to increase by 52 items each year.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
Amtrak has been fighting an uphill battle for its very survival from the first day of its conception and operation. So this time it is no different. However with the radical slash and burn Republicans running the House, Amtrak is still on very shaky ground and traveling along a bumpy right of way. Hopefully we have some Republicans in the House who will come to their senses and swing enough votes so that this funding bill passes. A nation without any passenger rail traffic is doomed to confusion. collapse nd utter chaos. We know that America is a nation who travels on highways and in the air but there is a vast number of people who still prefer to travel by train which is still the most comfortable and direct way to get to citiies and urban centers and the only way to really see the country in all its natural beauty and wonder. Ask any traveller and they will tell you that nobody enjoys flying or driving but only because of speed, and time saved by flying and the freedom and setting and making your own time and schedule by driving. However it is not a fun trip or one of relaxation Maybe the passenger train and rail travel is not the quickest way to get somewhere but it is the most relaxing and scenic way of travel. However Amtrak has to do its part by improving their on time service, reliability and expanded service on their LD routes and that means more trains not just one or two trains a day or in some cases only triweekly. To get people back to riding the trains you have to improve and expand service be on time and have a top customer service department and also a robust ad and promotion campaign and of course a whole new management teamstarting at the top with people who know their work and what they do and having knowledge and experience in the world of railroading. In the right hands and with good management and operations Amtrak or whoever would take over passenger rail travel in America can once again make passenger trains relevant, respectable and even revolutinary.
Joseph C. Markfelder
Sorry, Joseph I prefer to fly rather than schlepping along on Amtrak in its current schlepidiche state of affairs. Actually I find flying rather pleasant.
As someone who hangs out at airports a whole lot, I can tell you there’s a whole lot of options in flying that Amtrak doesn’t serve. There a countless examples out there. I’ll confine myself to my most recent research (though I cancelled the trip and didn’t go). Denver to Kalispell (Montana). A very very long drive or a short flight. Amtrak? Well, no, doesn’t do that route.
I’m all for trains. However we don’t really have them in much of the country. Count the number of train stops in Tennessee and the number of trains and where you can get to from there. And do note that the single train hugs one of the state’s boundaries and comes nowhere close to three-fourths of the state’s four metros. Including the three that are prosperous and growing …. withut Amtrak.
At any given hour of the day, half the population of the entire world is at DEN Denver International Airpor flying out or flying in. So someone must like to fly, i can’t be the only one.
PS On the flights I’ve taken (my log is 184 flights) I can’t recall anyone who seemed nervous about flying, or who complained about anything other than the cramped seats and tiny lavatories. This included a flight so rough (Cleveland to Nashville) that my head bounced off the fuselage. That I know of, no one complained or said they’d never fly again.
Well Charles, you are one…
We haven’t made it yet, we just crossed a street. Essential we need to make sure that Amtrak gets the levels of funding proposed by the Senate and not the house. So let’s not throw a party till we are sure that Amtrak gets the proper amount of funding.