US House has passed the Infrastructure Bill!

Now that the US House has passed the Infrastructure Bill, it will go to President Biden and signed into law. This is one of the most comprehensive infrastructure investments the US has seen in probably more than 60 years! Roads, bridges, waterways, electric vehicles, broadband, transit, and Amtrak will receive billions of dollars over the next ten years or so. Amtrak will receive $66B and it funds all business units of the railroad.

Here are the specifics of the $66 billion in funding for Amtrak:

· Northeast Corridor (NEC) Grants – $6 billion – for procurement and deferred maintenance on the NEC.

· Fed-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail – $36 billion

· NEC set-aside – $24 billion

· Funding for capital projects to repair, replace, or rehabilitate assets to improve performance and address maintenance backlog.

· Amtrak National Network (NN) – $16 billion – to modernize and upgrade the NN, including all 15 long-distance routes and 28 state-supported routes.

· Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) – $5 billion – competitive grant program to improve the safety, efficiency and reliability of intercity passenger rail and freight rail; leverages local and private sector funds.

· Railroad Crossing Elimination Program – $3 billion – competitive grant program to eliminate railway-highway grade crossings.

· Restoration & Enhancement Grants – $50 million – grant program to initiate, restore and enhance passenger rail service; eligible projects include restoration of discontinued service, additional frequencies, extension of existing service, and establishment of new service.

These funds will make new routes much easier to implement. This is more money than Amtrak has ever received in it's 50 year history. We will keep you posted on how this all goes forward. These are exciting times for more passenger rail in the US!