Amtrak to get $2 Billion a year in Congressional Transportation Bill

[CMStPnP]

It might be whittled down some since it has not been voted on yet nor has it passed the Senate but so far proposed for Amtrak is $10 Billion over 5 years.......

http://news.yahoo.com/congress-reaches-deal-5-transportation-bill-185455214--politics.html

 

[schlimm]

Let's hope so.  Write your congressman and senators.

[MidlandMike]

It sounds positive.  Nevertheless there is a hooker.

" It also authorizes $10 billion over five years for Amtrak, $12 billion for mass transit and $1 billion for vehicle safety programs. However, that money is subject to annual spending decisions by Congress rather than being paid for from the federal Highway Trust Fund."  

This means that Amtrak will still have to fight Congress for the full amount every budget year.

[matthewsaggie]

error deleted post.

[CMStPnP]

OK bill is approved by a wide bi-partisan margin and is on the Presidents Desk.

Votes were:

359 to 65 in the House

83 to 16 in the Senate

Amtrak and Mass Transit verbage for funding amounts still in place.

 

[dakotafred]

Uh, oh. Wednesday's Wall Street Journal says the bill would budget separately for the NEC, allowing NEC "profits" to be used for capital needs on that line. The rest of the network, "which the railroad says loses money," would hang separately.

[blue streak 1]

NARP's take on the bill.

http://www.narprail.org/news/blog/section-by-section-analysis-of-fast-act/

 

 

[ColdRainAndSnow]

Folks --  These are just Authorizations and mean very little. The rubber meets the road when it's actually time for Appropriations, when the actual money is allocated. And given the obtuse Majority running our Congress right now, you can bet on your child's life that the Amtrak Authorization will be FAR, FAR below the $2M/year mark. 

But the Majority has been breaking their arms patting themselves on the back about this bill all week regardless. Yay? Hardly...

 

[ColdRainAndSnow]

Meant to say the Amtrak APPROPRIATION will not be $2M/year regardless of what the bill authorizes.

[MidlandMike]

ColdRainAndSnow

Meant to say the Amtrak APPROPRIATION will not be $2M/year regardless of what the bill authorizes.

 

I guess $2M/year is far below the $2B/year that was authorized

[ColdRainAndSnow]

Yep, meant Billions and botched it all around...