Happening Now
National Passenger Day of Action THIS FRIDAY on Transportation Bill
November 11, 2015
Congressional leadership and staff are meeting in Washington, D.C. this week and next to reconcile the differences between Senate and House transportation bills. To ensure that this multi-year transportation bill gives states and Amtrak the tools they need to build a 21st Century rail transportation system, a broad coalition of passenger groups are organizing for a National Day of Action on Friday, November 13.
We’ll need your help to stand up for rail! Passenger groups have rallied around these clear, simple requests:
1. Include passenger rail as part of a comprehensive surface transportation bill.
The Senate included passenger rail as part of the DRIVE Act, the first time it has been included as part a truly comprehensive multi-year surface transportation bill. Now it’s time for the full Congress to ensure that passengers have a seat at the transportation table.
2. Allow for flexibility in investing the $77 billion in general revenue used to fund the surface transportation bill.
Since 2008, Congress has subsidized the Highway Trust Fund to the tune of $75 billion. Now, Congress is considering diverting another $77 billion to keep the fund afloat. There’s no reason these general funds must only be used for road projects. Congress should grant communities the flexibility to invest these funds to best address local transportation challenges—whether it’s a roadway, a railway, a bus line, or new equipment.
3. Include predictable, dedicated funding for passenger rail, and restore funding to FY2010 levels, when Congress invested $4 billion in trains.
The U.S. passenger rail system has been struggling to meet surging demand with stagnant resources. Congress must provide a trust fund so that the states and Amtrak can invest with confidence. While the Senate’s DRIVE Act is slightly better than the House’s STRR Act, neither one addresses the significant challenges states and Amtrak face in building a 21st Century rail system. For FY2016, we’re asking Congress to restore passenger rail funding to the $4 billion invested in FY 2010, and sustain that level across the life of the transportation bill.
Because only a select group of Members of Congress have been selected to be on the committee (full list below), passengers in their states and districts will play an outsized role in deciding the next five to six years of transportation investment (but with a bill this big, you can bet every Member will be trying to influence negotiations!).
In the meantime, passengers can easily send a letter to their officials in support of these key rail provisions to include in the transportation bill!
U.S. Senate
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Majority: Jim Inhofe, Okla. John Thune, S.D. Orrin Hatch, Utah Lisa Murkowski, Alaska, Deb Fischer, Neb. John Barrasso, Wyo. John Cornyn, Texas. |
Minority: Barbara Boxer, Calif. Sherrod Brown, Ohio Bill Nelson, Fla. Ron Wyden, Ore. Richard Durbin, Ill. Charles Schumer, N.Y.
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U.S. House of Representatives
(Italics = likely)
Transportation & Infrastructure Committee
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Majority: |
Minority:
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Ways & Means Committee
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Majority: |
Minority: |
Financial Services Committee
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Majority: |
Minority: |
Energy & Commerce Committee
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Majority: |
Minority: |
"The National Association of Railroad Passengers has done yeoman work over the years and in fact if it weren’t for NARP, I'd be surprised if Amtrak were still in possession of as a large a network as they have. So they've done good work, they're very good on the factual case."
Robert Gallamore, Director of Transportation Center at Northwestern University and former Federal Railroad Administration official, Director of Transportation Center at Northwestern University
November 17, 2005, on The Leonard Lopate Show (with guest host Chris Bannon), WNYC New York.
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