Rail Passengers Joins Push for Guaranteed Rail Funding

For Immediate Release (26-04)
May 13, 2026
Contact: Joe Aiello ([email protected])

Rail Passengers Association Endorses Congressional Request to Renew Guaranteed Funding for Rail

Washington, D.C. -- Rail Passengers Association is joining a coalition of Senators working to extend the guaranteed funding for rail programs -- both in the upcoming annual budget and the surface transportation reauthorization.

The group of Senators delivered a letter to Senate leadership, advocating for an extension of advanced appropriations in the bill which will fund the government in the coming fiscal year. The letter highlighted the investment cliff facing U.S. transportation infrastructure with the looming expiration of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) on September 30th of this year.

“As you consider the Fiscal Year 2027 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Bill, we urge you to support investments in our country’s entire transportation system,” stated the letter. “With the advance appropriations from the [Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)] expiring at the end of FY 2026, we must ensure that these programs continue to receive robust funding, at least at BIL levels, or risk cutting transportation investments to the lowest level in a decade when accounting for inflation.”

The coalition of Senators also released a report titled “American Rail on the Chopping Block”, which quantified the scope of work that the IIJA has funded in the rail sector and the benefits that have flowed to communities as a result.

“The [IIJA] provided $66 billion in multiyear advance appropriations to grant programs that enhance passenger rail routes, strengthen supply chains, improve community safety near the tracks, and reduce highway traffic. Since the passage of the [IIJA] in 2021, these rail programs have funded over 500 projects in 49 states,” said the report. “However, surface transportation programs, including programs that support investments in passenger and freight rail expire on October 1, 2026. Meaning these programs will face drastic cuts if the multiyear funding is not renewed.”

Rail Passengers is endorsing both the FY27 appropriations request and inclusion of guaranteed rail funding in the surface transportation reauthorization. Predictable funding has been an essential element in allowing state and local governments and the private sector to invest in the capacity needed to build a world-class passenger rail system in the U.S.

“By providing predictable, dedicated funding for rail projects, the [IIJA] gave local governments and the private sector the certainty needed to invest with confidence in America’s passenger rail network,” said Rail Passengers Association President & CEO Jim Mathews. “Thanks to that surety, we have a robust national pipeline of rail projects and new equipment in the U.S. for the first time in half a century. It’s essential that Congress include advanced appropriations for passenger rail programs in the next surface transportation reauthorization—to advance corridor projects in the pipeline and to sustain the equipment manufacturing jobs created in response to the IIJA.”

After only five years of predictable investment in passenger rail, we’ve already seen a reinvigoration of the U.S. passenger rail manufacturing base across the U.S. These green shoots include:

• Stadler expanding manufacturing in Utah, with a commitment to invest another $190 million in capacity over the next 15 years;

• Siemens Airo production generating domestic manufacturing activity across the country, with 3,500 parts manufactured by nearly 100 suppliers in 31 states;
• Siemens opening a new manufacturing plant in Lexington, NC, which will create 500+ local jobs by 2028 and grow North Carolina’s economy by $1.6 billion over 12 years;
• Alstom investing $75 million to build and outfit an expansion of its Hornell, NY manufacturing facility; and
• Amtrak making investments for a more reliable fleet by building, upgrading and expanding maintenance facilities in Seattle, WA; Philadelphia, PA; Boston, MA; Washington, D.C.; New York City, NY; and Rensselaer, NY.

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About the Rail Passengers Association: with 127,000 members, donors, and supporters, the non-profit 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.