Federal Rail Funding Announcement Begins Addressing a Century of Neglect

Big news on federal infrastructure funding arrived this week. The Federal Railroad Administration awarded more than $16 billion in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), for rail projects in the Northeast Corridor. The 25 supported projects will upgrade bridges, tunnels, tracks, and more. This will benefit Amtrak’s higher-speed service, the Acela, which runs between Washington and Boston, as well as regional and commuter-rail lines spanning seven northeastern states.

This investment will replace or improve infrastructure that passenger rail in this part of the United States depends on, such as the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel and the Susquehanna River Rail Bridge.

But this is just a start.

The serious needs addressed by this funding show the consequences of deferring maintenance for more than a hundred years. Instead of providing consistent world-class speed and service, these newly funded projects focus on catching up, by increasing safety and efficiency for existing service.

And the rail network for the rest of the United States, too, needs at least this level of investment. Just like on the Northeast Corridor, people in every region of the country would benefit from faster, more comfortable trains, with convenient arrivals and departures throughout the day.

Instead of sporadic investment in select lines, the creation of a National Network Plan is one of the Alliance’s top priorities. The United States needs dependable rail funding, year after year, to upgrade infrastructure nationwide, to build transformative high-speed lines, and to integrate those lines into our overall transportation network.

If you agree, please donate to the High Speed Rail Alliance. The Alliance is a member-driven movement, and it is urgent to grow this movement now. As new funding rolls out, we can make a bigger impact together, by shaping plans to invest in the most worthwhile projects and to accelerate progress.

11/17 Webinar: Liability Insurance, a Major Hurdle

Speaker: Adam Auxier, CEO, Rail Excursion Management Co.

Time: Friday November 17, 12pm – 1pm CT

Liability insurance is one of the biggest, but least talked about, hurdles to establishing intercity passenger rail in the United States.

A single accident has the potential to put an entire railroad company out of business. This is an important issue that Congress must take solve if the US is to build an integrated passenger rail network across the country.

We are excited to be joined by an expert on the topic who will give us an overview of this issue.

Register Here