The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has approved a railroad and Amtrak re-authorization act that provides for more money and is more favorable to Amtrak than the House PRRIA act. If the Senate bill get passed by the entire Senate, then the 2 bills will go to the reconciliation committee. So there are months of haggling ahead.
The Hill: Senate panel approves $9B Amtrak bill. Excerpt:
The Hill: Senate panel approves $9B Amtrak bill. Excerpt:
This article does not provide many specifics on the Senate bill, have to find others that do.The Senate committee overseeing the nation's infrastructure on Thursday approved a plan to spend nearly $9 billion on Amtrak over the next four years after a deadly crash reignited a debate in Washington about the rail service's funding.
The measure, which calls for spending approximately $1.65 billion annually on Amtrak and $570 million per year on rail grants, was unanimously approved by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.
The sponsors of the measure, Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), said the approval signifies the desire in Congress to give Amtrak funding to make safety improvements, especially on its heavily traveled tracks in the Northeast Corridor that were home to the deadly crash last month.
“Investing in our nation’s rail system is important to economic growth,” Wicker said of the measure, which is known as the "Railroad Reform, Enhancement, and Efficiency Act.”
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