…Do we know if Amtrak’s request of budget money is included in that new Transportation Bill…? I’ve seen no mention of it. Just mention of highway and all the rest and yes, even mentioning…“rail”…So, I wonder.
I have been told Amtrak is to get the same 1.2 Billion it got last year with a huge increase in highway expenditures, and I mean huge.
Thanks for adding info…
I think Amtrak is going to get 1.4 or 1.5 Billion this year.[:D]
You mean that most of that 99.9999999999999999999999999% goes to our stupid worthless over crouded hiway system. And yet it does NOTHING to lower gas prices.
Gas has hit an all time high here. E10 is now:2.39. Regular is now:2.49. Diesel.2.49.
And now the Trucking ind. is now talking about protesting big time. Allan.
There may be some freifgt goodies in the new transportation bill. Depends who your congresspeople are in getting pork for their district. I hope your state gets 100% of the gas tax money back for projects.
You are most likeley correct. Billions for highways. Millions for air. Amtrak gets a tin cup for donations from the states.
…And they’ll have to borrow the cup…
There was quite a bit of transit money in the transportation bill. You can go to www.trolleycar.org and read a bit about it.
This is indirectly beneficial for Amtrak as transit is a necessary feeder system for intercity corridors. Some have opined that new corridors won’t work unless the feeder systems to support it are in place.
Amtrak is not included in the highway bill - it never has been.
The house bill for Amtrak allows $1.2B, the Senate bill $1.4B. End result will come from conference committee. Gunn says $1.2 is a shutdown amount, but they can get by with $1.4B. Most encouraging is the Lott-Lautenburg bill which is a 6 year plan with plenty of capital in it plus some reforms.
I surly don’t drive as much as I use to nowadays no thanks to the high price of gas.
Allan.
APTA is actually pretty happy with the highway bill. I guess you can conclude that transit got what it was looking for.
A fair chunk of the appropriation was earmarked for portions of the CREATE project in Chicago. Since this is a long-term project, let’s hope that appropriations in subsequent years are sufficient.
The recently passed - and signed into law - Transportation Bill does not have funds for Amtrak or any intercity passenger rail service. Currently there are three spending bills for Amtrak in Congress. for FY ’06 The first bill is the House FY ’06 $1.2 billion appropriation for Amtrak.
Two Senate subcommittees have bills dealing with funding Amtrak. The Senate Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee has appropriated $1.4 Billion for Amtrak for FY ‘06. A bill by Senators Lott and Lautenberg in the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Railroad Subcommittee, which is an authorizing committee, and not an appropriations committee, would give Amtrak a $3.3 billion (operating) subsidy coupled with $4.9 billion capital funds over 6 years, and $1.4 billion grants to the states for passenger rail service Both of these bills would have to be passed by their respective committees, and I don’t know if either committee had time to consider either bill before Congress recessed until after Labor Day. Moreover, the Lott - Lautenberg Bill would also have to be passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee. What we might have in the Senate then is two competing appropriation measures for Amtrak for FY ’06
The Senate will be busy with the nomination of Judge John Roberts to the Supreme Court when it returns from its recess after Labor Day, and possibly through the end of September, so whether the Congress can pass all of the necessary FY’06 spending bills before the start of FY’06 remains to be seen… Congress would most likely pass continuing resolutions to allow agencies whose appropriations have not been passed to continue to operate, but at a spending level not to exceed that in the previous fiscal year.
New Transportation Bill by our beloved pres…Hmmmm, I wonder if Halleburton will get all of the highway contracts. The Bush family…a subsidiary of Halliburton Industries.