Congressman Dan Goldman Fights to Protect the Amtrak Northeast Corridor

Proposed Republican Funding Cuts Would Slash Amtrak Appropriations by More Than 64 Percent, Northeast Corridor Appropriations by Over 90 Percent

Funding Cuts Would Result in Fewer Trains, Longer Delays, and Increased Costs for Working Americans

Read the Letter Here

Washington D.C. - Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined Representatives Emilia Sykes (OH-34), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), and Don Bacon (NE-02) along with 69 other members of Congress in urging Congressional Leadership to preserve funding for vital Amtrak services. Proposals from the Republican House Appropriations Committee would slash national Amtrak funding by 64 percent and cut funding for the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak’s most heavily utilized route, by 92 percent. These massive funding cuts would interrupt service, bring a halt to essential infrastructure repairs and equipment overhauls required to keep trains running, and cause an immense strain on the millions of commuters who rely on Amtrak services.

“Amtrak has and will continue to play a critical role in shaping the future of American transportation by spurring capital development, enabling regional connectivity, connecting workers to employers, and improving regional tax revenue,” the lawmakers wrote. “To that end, we encourage you to provide robust funding for Amtrak and its passenger rail services in the final Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations legislation.” 

The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invested substantially in long-needed programs to improve passenger rail service across the country, including critical repairs and long-distance service.

The Appropriations Committee has proposed a 92 percent cut to Amtrak's most heavily utilized route, the Northeast Corridor. The Northeast Corridor connects dozens of major cities in the densely populated Northeast region of the country, the operation of which relies on efficient services, essential infrastructure repairs, and new equipment to keep trains running. If the Northeast Corridor’s current budget of $1.3 billion is constrained to $99 million, service would be catastrophically interrupted, and crucial repairs would cease.

“This devastating cut to our national passenger rail service would undermine the IIJA’s affirmation that intercity rail is an essential part of American transportation. The proposed budget cuts to Amtrak are shortsighted, and cannot be ameliorated by advance appropriations from the IIJA: those funds are limited to specific categories of capital investments. Underfunding Amtrak’s annual appropriations will undermine necessary state-of-good repair work, inhibit progress on other capital projects, and runs counter to the interests of millions of our constituents who rely on efficient and reliable rail services. Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner has already stated that ‘if the proposed levels become law, Amtrak will have to radically reduce or suspend service on various routes across the nation.’ This means fewer trains, longer delays, and increased travel costs for hardworking Americans who depend on Amtrak for intercity and regional train travel for commuting, work, or leisure,” the members continued.  

The House Appropriations Committee has also proposed a 64 percent overall Amtrak funding cut from Fiscal Year 2023 levels, which would undermine repair work, slow down other capital improvement projects, and make Amtrak rail service less efficient and reliable. Additionally, Amtrak would be forced to reduce or suspend service on routes across the nation, limiting trains, lengthening delays, and increasing the cost of rail travel. 

Reduced funding also threatens the local and national businesses that rely on major rail corridors, as well as jobs related to rail construction, manufacturing, and the supply chain.  

Read the full letter here and below: 

The Honorable Kevin McCarthy 

Speaker of the House 

U.S. House of Representatives 

Washington, DC 20515 

The Honorable Chuck Schumer 

Majority Leader 

United States Senate 

Washington, DC 20510  

The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries  

Democratic Leader  

United States House of Representatives  

Washington, DC 20515 

The Honorable Mitch McConnell  

Minority Leader 

United States Senate 

Washington, DC 20510 

Dear Colleagues:  

We write today to express our concern with the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) funding provided for Amtrak, including for the Northeast Corridor (NEC), by the House Committee on Appropriations on July 18, 2023.  

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, commonly referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) authorizes multi-year funding for Amtrak’s major capital projects and state of-good repair work, such as replacing their aging fleet, rebuilding bridges and tunnels along the NEC, and investing in station and route improvements to the National Network. Through the IIJA, authorized funding was nearly doubled for the National Network (from $1.2 billion in FY21 to $2.3 billion in FY22) and increased for the NEC from $600 million in FY21 to $1.57 billion in FY22. 

In addition to providing advance appropriations for specific categories of capital investments, the IIJA also authorized considerable funding for long needed programs to improve passenger rail service and expand it to regions underserved by Amtrak today, such as the Corridor Identification and Development Program, which has already spurred efforts to bring and expand passenger rail services to communities in Northeast Ohio, New England, Southeastern Pennsylvania, Kansas, and many other places around the nation. Accordingly, in FY23, our colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee robustly funded those programs, which has enabled critical investments in our national rail infrastructure. As Congress intended, Amtrak has used these funds to increase speeds and reduce trip times on the NEC, make much needed repairs and improvements to stations across its network, enhance long distance services that are critical to rural communities, and invest in Wi-Fi and other customer-facing projects 

Unfortunately, the House Appropriations Committee has proposed slashing Amtrak’s annual appropriation by 64% from FY23 enacted levels. This devastating cut to our national passenger rail service would undermine the IIJA’s affirmation that intercity rail is an essential part of American transportation. The proposed budget cuts to Amtrak are shortsighted, and cannot be ameliorated by advance appropriations from the IIJA: those funds are limited to specific categories of capital investments. Underfunding Amtrak’s annual appropriations will undermine necessary state-of-good repair work, inhibit progress on other capital projects, and runs counter to the interests of millions of our constituents who rely on efficient and reliable rail services. Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner has already stated that “if the proposed levels become law, Amtrak will have to radically reduce or suspend service on various routes across the nation.” This means fewer trains, longer delays, and increased travel costs for hardworking Americans who depend on Amtrak for intercity and regional train travel for commuting, work, or leisure. 

To that end, it is also concerning that the Committee has proposed eliminating funding for the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program. This program provides funding to states for the development and improvement of intercity passenger rail services across the country. Eliminating funding for this critical program would negatively impact jobs related to rail construction, manufacturing, and the supply chain in addition to harming local and national businesses that rely on major rail corridors, such as the NEC, and other intercity passenger rail routes. Because there is greater demand for rail funding in the Northeast - in addition to growing demand nationwide - it is crucial that funding for the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program not be eliminated. 

Strong intercity passenger rail services also offer options to our nation's intercity travel network; several episodes during the last year that grounded thousands of planes across the country highlight the need for more alternatives to air travel. The proposed 92% cuts to the NEC funding are particularly alarming. The NEC is Amtrak's most heavily utilized route, serving as a crucial transportation artery connecting major cities in the densely populated Northeast. Slashing funding from $1.3 billion to $99 million would interrupt service, bring a halt to essential infrastructure repairs and equipment overhauls required to keep trains running, and cause an immense strain on the millions of commuters, leisure travelers, and businesspeople who rely on this corridor daily. 

Amtrak has and will continue to play a critical role in shaping the future of American transportation by spurring capital development, enabling regional connectivity, connecting workers to employers, and improving regional tax revenue. To that end, we encourage you to provide robust funding for Amtrak and its passenger rail services in the final Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations legislation.

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