High-Speed Rail Appropriations and Amtrak Appoints HSR VP

March 29, 2023

High Speed Rail Appropriations Request

Senator Ossoff and Representatives Beyers, Costa, DelBene and Moulton are leading a sign-on letter to the Transportation Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations committee requesting that $3.5 billion be allocated to world-standard high-speed rail in the FY2024 budget.

Please ask your Senators and Representatives to sign this letter!

In 2021 the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) created a solid foundation for improving intercity rail across the country, but it did not fund the high-speed rail account. It’s important that we build on the IIJA by appropriating dedicated funding for high-speed rail projects.

Regions across the U.S. are launching ambitious high-speed rail infrastructure initiatives, and support for high-speed rail is strong and growing. Now we need Congress to provide the funding that’s necessary for developing a national high-speed rail network.

Take Action

Amtrak Appoints Andy Byford to Lead High-Speed Rail Program

Amtrak has appointed Andy Byford as Senior Vice President for their high-speed rail program, effective April 10. Byford was previously President of MTA New York City Transit, where he earned the nickname “Train Daddy,” as he improved on-time subway performance and approved spending for modernizing city subways and buses.

According to an internal Amtrak memo, Byford will oversee the development of high-speed rail and “ensure operational strategy alignment between new HSR programs and our current network.”

We are excited to see a well-respected and experienced transportation professional take over the role of developing high-speed rail programs for Amtrak.

Andy Byford to Join Amtrak (Streetsblog NYC – Original Story)

“Train Daddy” Andy Byford to Join Amtrak (Railway Age)

Andy Byford—‘Train Daddy’—Returns to the U.S. to Save Amtrak (MSN)

Andy Byford Will Oversee High-Speed Rail at Amtrak (Crain’s NY)