(The following appeared on the Progressive Railroading website on July 6, 2010.)
Last week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development made changes to a fiscal-year 2011 spending bill. The subcommittee opted to increase highway spending by $4.1 billion above the Obama Administration’s request, cut Amtrak funding $833 million below the railroad’s own request, and reduce state grants for high-speed and intercity passenger rail $1.1 billion below current funding, according to a press release issued by the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP).
Intercity passenger trains would receive a total of $3.2 billion, according to the approved revisions, with $1.4 billion for high-speed rail and $1.77 billion for Amtrak. Both funding amounts are higher than the Obama Administration’s requests, according to NARP.