Passengers Thanks Committee for Bipartisan Passage of Rail Title

For Immediate Release (21-11)

Contact: Sean Jeans-Gail (202) 320-2723; [email protected]

Rail Passengers Thanks Committee for Bipartisan Passage of Rail Title

Washington, D.C. – The Rail Passengers Association thanked the Senate Committee on Commerce today for its timely and bipartisan passage of Surface Transportation Investment Act of 2021 (STIA).

“America’s passengers thank Chair Cantwell and Ranking Member Wicker for their leadership in advancing the Surface Transportation Investment Act,” said Rail Passengers’ President Jim Mathews. “This bill includes many important reforms to Amtrak and improvements to passenger rail policy. The bipartisan commitment on display in the advancement of S. 2016 will be key to ensuring that Congress acts on transportation infrastructure this year.”

Key Anti-Rail Amendments Blocked

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) offered two amendments that would’ve negatively affected Amtrak operations, both of which were comfortably defeated through bipartisan opposition.

The first amendment (Lee #45) attempted to reinstate language requiring Amtrak to pursue profitability in network planning, a condition which would ultimately result in massive cuts to service in rural America. Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) successfully led bipartisan opposition to this amendment, citing the need to support Amtrak in the wake of COVID-19’s devastation of the U.S. transportation sector.

Rail Passengers also spoke out against the amendment.

“[Sen. Mike Lee] has filed an amendment aimed at forcing Amtrak to be self-sustainable, but in reality Amtrak trains return between $7 and $8 billion each year to our Nation’s GDP – four times what we invest annually in the service,” Rail Passengers said in an online statement in response to the amendment. “Long-distance trains bring in nearly an estimated $5 billion in benefits to the communities they serve! They provide an economic lifeline to rural and small-town America that has been abandoned by airlines. Meanwhile, we’ve spent $158 billion in general funds to prop up the highways since 2008, alone. What has the subsidy bought us? More than 458,000 motor vehicle deaths over that same period, to name one metric. The math is clear, we need to invest more in [passenger rail] in the U.S.”

The second amendment (Lee #49) would’ve restored requirements for Amtrak to break even in providing onboard food and beverage. This requirement has previously hindered Amtrak’s ability to provide quality onboard food options, a key provision in attracting customers. Chair Cantwell again successfully led bipartisan opposition to the amendment.

“Amtrak food and beverage services is a significant point of what helps us get customers onto Amtrak and during the pandemic Amtrak experienced a significant drop in ridership and corresponding revenue from ticket sales across its network,” said Sen. Cantwell. “Now as vaccines are more widely available people are resuming travel and Amtrak needs to continue to attract to its customers to improve its ridership and revenues for 2021, so I encourage my colleagues to vote against this amendment.

Lee #45 Amendment [Defeated: 21 Nays – 7 Yeas] Maria Cantwell (D-WA) - Nay Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) - Nay Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) - Nay Brian Schatz (D-HI) - Nay Ed Markey (D-MA) - Nay Gary Peters (D-MI) - Nay Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) - Nay Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) -Nay Jon Tester (D-MT) - Nay Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) - Nay Jacky Rosen (D-NV) - Nay Hickenlooper (D-CO) - Nay Ben Lujan (D-NM) - Nay Mark Warner (D-VA) - Nay Roger Wicker (R-MS) - Nay John Thune (R-SD) - Nay Roy Blunt (R-MO) - Nay Ted Cruz (R-TX) - Yes Debra Fischer (R-NE) - Yes Jerry Moran (R-KS) - Nay Dan Sullivan (R-AK) - Nay Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) - Yes Todd Young (R-IN) - Yes Mike Lee (R-UT) - Yes Ron Johnson (R-WI) - Yes Shelley Capito (R-WV) - Nay Tim/ Rick Scott (R-FL) - Yes Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) - Yes

Lee #49 Amendment [Defeated: 21 Nays – 7 Yeas] Maria Cantwell (D-WA) - Nay Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) - Nay Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) - Nay Brian Schatz (D-HI) - Nay Ed Markey (D-MA) - Nay Gary Peters (D-MI) - Nay Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) - Nay Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) -Nay Jon Tester (D-MT) - Nay Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) - Nay Jacky Rosen (D-NV) - Nay Hickenlooper (D-CO) - Nay Ben Lujan (D-NM) - Nay Mark Warner (D-VA) - Nay Roger Wicker (R-MS) - Nay John Thune (R-SD) - Yes Roy Blunt (R-MO) - Nay Ted Cruz (R-TX) - Yes Debra Fischer (R-NE) - Nay Jerry Moran (R-KS) - Nay Dan Sullivan (R-AK) - Nay Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) - Nay Todd Young (R-IN) - Yes Mike Lee (R-UT) - Yes Ron Johnson (R-WI) - Yes Shelley Capito (R-WV) - Nay Tim/ Rick Scott (R-FL) - Yes Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) - Yes

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Funding Levels Below House Levels

Unfortunately, while there were many solid policy provisions in the rail title, the funding fell below the levels provided in the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure’s INVEST in America Act. While the $36 billion for passenger and freight rail is well above current funding levels, it’s considerably below the $95 billion provided by the House – with the House figure closer to what is required to address decades of underinvestment in the U.S. rail network. Rail Passengers is calling on the full U.S. Congress to adopt the funding levels passed by the in H.R. 3684. This could be addressed during Senate floor action or the reconciliation process.

“We look forward to working with the Senate to advance the many outstanding ideas included in STIA and strengthen it where possible,” said Mathews.

About Rail Passengers Association

The Rail Passengers Association is the oldest and largest national organization serving as a voice for the more than 40 million rail passengers in the U.S. Our mission is to improve and expand conventional intercity and regional passenger train services, support higher speed rail initiatives, increase connectivity among all forms of transportation and ensure safety for our country's trains and passengers. All of this makes communities safer, more accessible, and more productive, improving the lives of everyone who lives, works and plays in towns all across America.

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