U.S. House Committee Proposes Budget Cut In Amtrak Services

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 percent from what was enacted last year and 76 percent 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 President and CEO of Rail Passengers Association Jim Mathews. “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.”