New bill in Congress proposes to invest $200 billion in fast, electrified trains

A bill to invest $200 billion over five years in “high-performance rail” and electrifying existing railways was jointly introduced in the US House and Senate this week.

The bulk of the funding would go to existing Federal Railroad Administration programs, including the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Rail, CRISI, and Amtrak. Each of the programs would be modified to prioritize electrification.

Two new programs would be created.

• State Rail Formula Funding for the development of State rail plans, operations of rail service, and maintenance and expansion of rail infrastructure.
• Green Railroads Fund to enable or improve electrified rail operations.

The All Aboard Act is the second bill in Congress this year proposing major investments in electrified trains and other major upgrades to US railroad infrastructure. In March, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) and Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA) introduced the American High-Speed Rail Act. It calls for investing a total of $205 billion in HSR and “higher-speed rail” projects over five years. In a recent Alliance webinar, Moulton talked about “the single most effective argument for high-speed rail.”  Watch it here and find our summary here.

The two bills serve an important strategic purpose even if their near-term prospects for passage are dim. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which included railway funding, is set to expire in 2026. These bills set the stage for railways to play a big part in its reauthorization.

Having aggressive champions for passenger rail is key to making train funding a priority, and the bills lay out a vision for doing just that. They also create a tool for taking quick and decisive action down the road, when an election (or some other political shift) makes it possible to pass transformative bills.

Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA), the Senate sponsor of the All Aboard Act, explained that “an accessible, reliable, and electrified rail network across our nation” will help fight climate change and “give Americans the train service they are clamoring for, help save our planet, and do it all with union labor.” The bill’s House sponsor is Rep. Chris Deluzio, a Democrat who represents Pennsylvania’s 17^th District.

Transportation accounts for nearly 30 percent of US carbon emissions, and the US emits more carbon than any country but China. So lowering US transportation emissions is key to fighting climate change globally. And electric trains are the best tool for doing so.

As the Alliance explained recently, electric trains are “the true powerhouse EV in the fight against climate change.” That’s true for many reasons, including the fact that steel wheels on steel rails are vastly more energy efficient than rubber tires on asphalt or concrete roads. One analysis found that the United Kingdom’s rail system is about 25% more energy efficient than electric cars.

Just one percent of the US network is electrified, which means there is vast room for improvement. Switzerland’s rail network is fully electrified, and the European Union’s overall rate is nearly 60%. India’s rail networks are about 94%electrified. Globally, about one-third of rail lines are electrified.

The Alliance joined a wide range of other organizations—including the Sierra Club, Transportation for America, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and the Union of Concerned Scientists—in endorsing the All Aboard Act.

​