A panel made up of state officials and Amtrak representatives has, in a new report to Congress, requested a change of funding for rail improvement projects, turning from annual appropriations to a dedicated funding stream.
The State-Amtrak Intercity Passenger Rail Committee is a congressionally mandated entity, meant to report on state-supported passenger rail routes. In all, 18 states and 21 agencies are involved, along with Amtrak. Addressing their findings to the leadership of the House and Senate committees with jurisdiction over rail issues, the committee requested full funding of rail grants originally authorized in 2015 and urged a shift to long-term funding to guarantee major projects could be planned and executed accordingly.
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