Amtrak is set to receive its most significant expansion in history thanks to the new $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill passed in the House on Friday.
The funding, which in total comes out to $66 billion, will now allow the railroad company to start repair and replacement projects across the nation’s passenger rail network.
Amtrak has a backlog of repairs to improve stations, replace old trains and create a path to modernize the railways that go coast to coast from Washington-to-Boston. This will be the biggest boost in federal aid for Amtrak in 50 years.
William J. Flynn shared with the Washington Post that the funding is “transformative.” He continued saying it “represents more funds than have been cumulatively invested in Amtrak over the first 50 years of our history.”
The Northeast Corridor will now see upgrades to its aging infrastructure, including several bridges and tunnels that are more than 100 years old.
While the funding will help upgrade Amtrak’s current infrastructure, it could also help bring the passenger service to new cities and towns nationwide, overhauling the service map that has remained unchanged over the last half-century, the Post reported.
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The funding also comes after Amtrak announced a $75 billion plan to bring trains to 160 new communities earlier this year. The expansion is estimated to lure 20 million more passengers every year.
The plans were contingent on the passage of the infrastructure package, which President Biden will soon sign.
The funding is expected to help fast-track a path to recovery for Amtrak from the hits it took during the pandemic, company officials said, the Post reported.
During the last year and a half, ridership dropped 95% at the onset of the health crisis and only recovered 70% of pre-pandemic levels this fall.
Amtrak officials shared that it is set to receive an initial $22 billion. Still, under the terms of the package, it will eventually have access to another $44 billion in federal grants for rail projects, which includes creating new routes.
Cities that are not currently on Amtrak routes but soon could be, include Las Vegas and Nashville, but states will compete for the funding to add them to the map.
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The possibility of new connections is also on the table; this includes routes like Phoenix-to-Tucson and a corridor in Ohio connecting Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland.
Jim Matthews, the Rail Passengers Association executive director, shared that the funding comes after it received little support from the previous administration.
But now, new trains, refurbished train interiors, improved stations and platforms, and more frequent service are all on the table with Amtrak’s funding.
“These upgrades will touch every part of the existing system,” Matthews said, the Post reported. “And we hope [it will] lay the foundation for dozens of new corridors across the U.S.”
