This post originally appeared on Orphan Road.
The legislation, pushed by New Jersey Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg, would allocate $1.6 billion for rail safety, renew and expand the Federal Railroad Administration, and invest nearly $13 billion over the next five years to expand and upgrade passenger rail in the U.S.
Of that $13 billion, Amtrak would get about $1.6 billion a year — $300 million more than what it now receives — for operations and capital projects like replacing tracks and repairing tunnels. States would also receive funding to
$13B over five years is a drop in the bucket, obviously, but it’s a start. Amtrak Cascades should benefit handsomely from this bill.