PRRIA passes House; Amtrak-killing amendment squashed; Denham dances over California HSR implications

The U.S. House of Representatives on March 4, 2015 passed the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015 (PRRIA, H.R.749) “with widespread bipartisan support,” according to Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee Chairman Jeff Denham (R-Calif.).

“The bill improves rail infrastructure, reduces costs, leverages private sector resources, creates greater accountability and transparency, and accelerates project delivery for Amtrak and the nation’s passenger rail transportation system,” Denham said in a statement.

Denham, among whose top 20 campaign contributors are the air transport and automotive industries, and who is an avowed enemy of California’s high speed rail initiative, seemed to take particular pleasure in pointing out the bill’s potential impact on his state’s HSR program. He said that PRRIA “includes provisions to prevent future scenarios like California’s current high speed rail proposal. . . . Importantly for Californians, it prevents another disaster like California high speed rail from wasting taxpayer dollars. California’s high speed rail proposal no longer looks anything like what voters approved.”

Denham said that under PRRIA, rail grants that exceed $1 billion “are required to secure a state match. They must also include a usable segment of track. These requirements are similar to 2008’s Proposition 1A, which was approved by California voters. If grant applicants cannot complete their proposed projects and operate at full capacity within 20 years, any funds provided by the federal government must be returned on a pro-rated basis.”

Denham went on to say that PRRIA “streamlines the RRIF process, giving passenger railroads in California better access to financing. It enhances the private sector’s ability to leverage railroad right-of-way to increase revenues, encourages development in and around Amtrak stations by strengthening multimodal connections and capturing development-related revenue streams, and provides for concurrent environmental review, which will speed up project delivery.”

Rail advocacy groups expressed muted praise for PRRIA’s House passage, and pointed out that an amendment that would have cut all Amtrak funding was overwhelmingly defeated. “We are impressed that Congress overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill to authorize funding for Amtrak next year,” said Midwest High Speed Rail Association Executive Director Richard Harnish. “Greater investments are needed to build a world-class passenger rail network, but this is a step in the right direction. Passenger rail investments are still too low, but it is encouraging to see thousands of grassroots supporters and representatives from both parties stick up to extreme voices who called for an end to all Amtrak service.”

The amendment to eliminate all authorized Amtrak funding was introduced by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.); it failed by a vote of 147-272. “When word of the amendment to cut all Amtrak funding came out, thousands of train advocates from across the country came together to tell their representatives to support Amtrak,” said Harnish. “More than 1,000 of our supporters told their representatives to invest more on expanding passenger trains.”

“There is more work to do,” said Harnish. “This bill would authorize Amtrak and other intercity passenger rail service for the next five years at only $1.8 billion per year. That means another five years of declining service when the system should be rapidly expanding. The Federal Railroad Administration has established that $5 billion per year is the minimum required to grow the system. The American Public Transportation Association has shown that $9.5 billion is needed to support the current project pipeline and continue Amtrak’s funding. The National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) has identified nearly $200 billion in projects requested by state or local governments. Congress needs to build off this victory, and invest more.”

“The overwhelming bipartisan support shown in fighting back this ill-considered amendment demonstrates broad support for a national rail network—among both politicians and the public,” said NARP President Jim Mathews. “As the Senate takes up the bill, NARP will continue to work with coalition partners and likeminded allies to help craft a truly transformational piece of legislation to bring frequent, reliable, and safe rail service to all Americans. Investing in a modern transportation infrastructure that improves safety, reliability and efficiency of all modes is the only way to get America’s economy moving at full-speed again.”