NARP Needs Your Help to Voice Opposition to Cuts to Amtrak

Written By Sean Jeans Gail

The House Appropriations Committee released the fiscal year 2015 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bill today that further tightens the budgetary screws on the national passenger rail network, precluding any chance to improve service and grow the system.

In the subcommittee draft, rail is funded at $1.4 billion, representing a reduction of $193 million below what was enacted last year. That number includes $340 million for Amtrak operations (the same as enacted in fiscal year 2014), and $850 million for capital grants and debt service (a $155 200 million reduction from FY 2014).

The House Appropriations’ figures well short of the $3.9 billion requested by NARP, which would allow Amtrak to improve the reliability of operations, as well as fund new equipment for both the national network and state corridors.

However, these numbers are not set in stone! The bill will be considered in the House Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee tomorrow at 10:00 Eastern (you can watch the webcast here), and there’s still time for America’s passengers to tell Congress that Amtrak is a critical transportation link worth investing in. There’s also time for anti-rail forces to offer amendments that would further damage Amtrak. We need your help!

Call your representative and ask them to “support an increase in funding for passenger trains, and to oppose any amendments that would further reduce Amtrak funding.”

You can also use Facebook and Twitter to contact these members directly, using the hashtag #ISupportTrains (make sure to include @NARPrail so we can share your message). Time is of the essence, so act now!

Members of the House Appropriations Committee