Amtrak CEO Responds to Passing of FY24 Bill

Amtrak’s CEO Stephen Gardner has published his response to the passing of the FY24 Bill.

On Tuesday, the Senate passed the FY24 Bill with bipartisan support. The Bill includes a reduction in funding for the American transport sector. The Appropriations Committee viewed the Fiscal Year 2024 bill for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development earlier this year.

In July, the Full Appropriations Committee met to consider the Fiscal Year 2024 bill for the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. The Committee approved the measure with a vote of 34 to 27.

The bill includes reducing funding for the Department of Transportation (DOT) grant programmes by $6.616 billion, which is 59% below the FY23 level.

Stephen Gardner, CEO of Amtrak, one of the largest operators on the East Coast has published his response.

“Amtrak was excited to celebrate yesterday’s much-needed historic investment in passenger rail infrastructure,” Gardener said.

“By law, the IIJA advanced appropriations is only allowed for dedicated infrastructure and capital projects such as bridges, tunnels, and stations. Amtrak still relies on Congress to provide annual funding to run its trains and maintain its national network,” he added.

“We cannot use the IIJA funding announced yesterday to operate our trains or maintain our infrastructure, fleet, and facilities.

The House-proposed bill to cut Amtrak’s annual appropriations by 64 percent would severely reduce our service nationally and impact thousands of jobs,” he concluded.

The Senate passed the FY24 Bill on 7th November with bipartisan support.