Rail Coalition Supports Amtrak, Rail Grant Funding in FY26

For Immediate Release (25-08)

Contact: Joe Aiello ([email protected])

Coalition of Rail Workers, States and Passenger Rail Organizations Ask Congress to Support Amtrak and Rail Programs in Fiscal Year 2026 Budget

Washington, D.C.—A coalition representing rail workers, State rail agencies, train passengers, and other advocacy organizations issued a letter urging Congress to fully fund Amtrak, the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP) Program, and the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program at authorized levels in the upcoming transportation budget.

[The full letter is available here]

“The federal investments made to Amtrak, FSP, and CRISI are essential to the operations and development of a safe and efficient U.S. transportation system,” stated the coalition in the letter. “Our nation’s intercity and regional passenger rail network moves tens of millions of Americans every year, offering an alternative to congested highways and crowded airports. These services also offer a safer way for families to travel, with passenger rail 17 times safer than riding in a car on a per passenger mile basis.”

The coalition pointed to Amtrak’s record levels of ridership, and to State-supported services carrying record-setting numbers of passengers—including on the Amtrak Downeaster in Maine, all four Amtrak Virginia corridors, and the Amtrak Cascades service in Washington State.

“Amtrak’s annual appropriations are essential for operations in both rural and metropolitan communities and cannot be made up by advance appropriations provided by the IIJA,” the letter concluded. “Providing sufficient FY26 funding is necessary to ensure Amtrak workers carry out the day-to-day functions needed to meet these record levels of ridership, perform annual maintenance, and carry out core functions while making high-priority investments for future expansion.”

The letter was signed by the following organizations:

• American Train Dispatchers Association
• Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen-International Brotherhood of Teamsters
• Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division-International Brotherhood of Teamsters
• Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen
• Environmental Law & Policy Center
• High Speed Rail Alliance
• International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and Transportation
• International Brotherhood of Boilermakers
• National Conference of Firemen & Oilers, 32BJ / SEIU
• Rail Passengers Association
• SMART, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers- Transportation Division
• States for Passenger Rail Coalition
• Teamsters Rail Conference
• Transport Workers Union of America
• Transportation Communications Union
• Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO

###

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