The Association of American Railroads (AAR) applauded the passage of a $550 billion infrastructure package in the Senate on Tuesday and urged the House to follow the Senate’s lead.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes a full five-year surface transportation reauthorization that provides funding for safety and improvement projects, as well as support for short line and passenger railroads and state departments of transportation.
“Throughout this year’s infrastructure conversations, the Senate has remained clear-eyed and committed to building consensus around a package that could help pave the way to future economic growth,” said AAR President and CEO Ian Jefferies. “Today, it delivered. Railroads applaud the Senate and the Biden administration on their leadership and urge the House to follow suit by quickly approving this landmark legislation.”
The bill includes nearly $845 million per year over five years for highway-rail grade crossing safety and improvement projects and an average of $5.55 billion per year for discretionary infrastructure grant programs, including $1 billion per year for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) grant program.
The legislation will also enhance the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) program and provide funding for intercity passenger rail, including set-asides for the Northeast Corridor maintenance backlogs and to replace critical infrastructure.
Passengers and the rail industry heralded the bill’s passage in the Senate.
“We applaud the Senate and the Biden Administration for their work in advancing this historic investment in passenger rail included in this bill, which will allow Amtrak and states to modernize our country’s aging passenger rail network, including buying new railcars and locomotives, upgrading stations and increasing reliability,” said Jim Mathews, president and CEO of Rail Passengers Association. “It is absolutely imperative that this investment results in increased service and an expanded passenger rail network, and we look forward to working with Congress, the White House, and the U.S. Department of Transportation to ensure that more Americans are able to choose passenger trains as a result of this historic investment.”
Amtrak concurred.
“The Senate’s passage of the Infrastructure Bill represents more than just this country’s greatest level of investment in Amtrak and infrastructure in the past 50 years. It also highlights America’s commitment to updating the rail network and improving the passenger experience for years to come,” Amtrak Board Chair Tony Coscia said. “Amtrak is ready to rebuild core infrastructure, replace equipment and, with the FRA and state partners, bring more Amtrak service to more people across the nation, creating thousands of new jobs and reducing America’s carbon footprint.”
Coscia added, however, that more was still needed.
“Separately, Congress needs to ensure that Amtrak gets the on-time performance and preference from our host railroads that the law requires so we can achieve the growth in reliable service that our nation needs,” Coscia said.