Statement on House’s Proposed Cuts to Amtrak in FY24 Budget

July 12, 2023

For Immediate Release (23-7)

Contact: Madison Butler ([email protected])

Rail Passengers Association’s Statement on House’s Proposed Cuts to Amtrak

Washington, D.C.—The Rail Passengers Association is urging Congress to reject the vision outlined in the House Committee on Appropriation's draft Fiscal Year 2024 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) legislation. This bill would cut Amtrak’s budget 64% from what was enacted last year and 76% below what Congress authorized in the Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act (IIJA), threatening an essential transportation service that tens of millions of Americans depend upon and killing the passenger rail renaissance launched by the IIJA before it has a chance to get started.

“The funding levels outlined in this bill would require deep cuts to train service across the entire network—on the Northeast Corridor, State-Supported and Long Distance services—and threaten the complete elimination of some routes,” said Jim Mathews, President and CEO of Rail Passengers Association. “This proposed budget does not take the task of governing seriously, ignoring the needs of hundreds of Amtrak-served communities in favor of scoring cheap political points. We stand ready to work with House and Senate leadership to come up with a responsible budget that preserves essential transportation and economic services.”

This House Republican budget proposal comes at the same time as the U.S. Department of Transportation is overseeing a generational investment in passenger rail infrastructure. The IIJA guarantees multi-year funding for major capital projects such as the purchase of new equipment to replace Amtrak’s aging National Network fleet, rebuilding bridges and tunnels along the Northeast Corridor, bringing new services to cities without passenger rail connections, and adding additional frequencies to existing corridors. However, the funding for day-to-day operations, routine maintenance, and the administrative costs that come with running a national railroad must be provided through the annual budgeting process.

“These proposed cuts are all the more infuriating coming at the same time as we’re seeing unprecedented interest in adding and upgrading passenger rail service from cities and towns across America,” said Mathews. “When the Federal Railroad Administration asked for proposals as part of their Corridor Identification Program, there was a massive response from states across the nation—Red and Blue, North and South, Heartland and Coastal. We can’t afford to gut these exciting new programs before they even get started.”

Rail Passengers Association mapped out the interest in new train service based on the publicly available Corridor ID submissions (an incomplete summary of submissions that were finalized April 2023).

We’re also providing a summary of the rail provisions in the draft bill:

House FY2024 THUD – Proposed Rail Funding

(Millions)
	FY23 Enacted	FY24 Authorized	FY24 Presidential Request	FY24 House THUD
Amtrak - NEC	$1,260	$1,200	$1,227	$99.2
Amtrak - Nat'l Network	$1,193	$2,450	$1,841	$776.4
FRA Operations	$251	$263	$273	$273.5
Fed-State Partnership for IPR/SOGR	$100	$1,500	$560	$0.0
CRISI Grants	$535	$1,000	$510	$258.5
RR Crossing Elimination Grants	$0	$500	$250	$0.0
Restoration & Enhancement Grants	$0	$50	$50	$0.0
Total	$3,339	$6,963	$4,711	$1,407.6

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IIJA – Guaranteed Capital Funds

(Millions)
IIJA - Guaranteed Funds	FY24
CRISI Grants	$1,000
Amtrak - NEC	$1,200
Amtrak - Nat'l Network	$3,200
RR Crossing Elimination Grants	$600
Fed-State Partnership for SOGR	$7,200

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Policy Provisions

-- None of these funds may be used to fund overtime costs in excess of $35,000 per individual employee (except when the President of Amtrak determines this cap poses a risk to the safety and operational efficiency of the system).

-- None of these funds may be used to reduce the total number of Amtrak Police Department uniformed officers patrolling on board passenger trains or at stations, facilities or rights-of-way below the staffing level on May 1, 2019.

-- None of these funds may be provided to the State of California for a high-speed rail corridor development project.