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1 1 (June 7, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govedop0001 and id is 1 raw text is: SCongressional SResearch Service informing the legislative debate since 1914____________________ Amtrak, North Atlantic Rail Alliance Seek Support for Passenger Rail Proposals June 7, 2021 Two organizations have recently released multiyear, multibillion-dollar proposals for investment in intercity passenger rail. One, the federally owned passenger railroad Amtrak, seeks roughly $75 billion to add or initiate service on dozens of routes across the country by 2035. The other, the private North Atlantic Rail Alliance, would spend an estimated $105 billion to construct a new high-speed rail alternative to the existing Northeast Corridor (NEC) line from New York to Boston, plus new or upgraded branch lines. Both organizations have requested various measures supportive of their plans to be included in federal legislation. Some of these-though not all-were included in the INVEST in America Act (H.R. 3684), a surface transportation reauthorization bill introduced in the House on June 4. ConnectsUS 2035 Amtrak's proposal, ConnectsUS 2035, identifies some 40 potential new routes and another 20 or so existing routes that would receive improved service, such as additional trains per day or faster scheduled trip times. All of these routes would be located off the NEC (at least in part) and be less than 750 miles in length, meaning each would be subject to a cost-sharing requirement between Amtrak and the states served. However, a key element of the proposal would allow Amtrak to offset required state contributions with federal funds for the first few years of operation, incentivizing states to sign on. Importantly, all final route alignments, schedules, speeds, and service levels would be jointly determined by Amtrak, state partners, and the freight railroads that host Amtrak's trains outside the NEC; Amtrak could not implement any of the proposed changes unilaterally. Many changes Amtrak proposes are drawn from existing regional rail or corridor plans. Some, such as extensions of current service in Vermont or Virginia, already enjoy strong support and are likely to proceed. Others, such as improved service between Albany and Buffalo, NY, have been studied but not implemented, in part because of the high estimated cost of the work required to allow higher speeds. Still others, such as establishing service between Atlanta and Nashville, have not been studied in detail. Amtrak has said it conducted its own basic ridership and revenue modeling exercise for each of the proposed changes, but detailed results of its analysis have not been made public. Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11688 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

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