White House Releases FY24 Transportation Request

The White House released its Fiscal Year 2024 budget request yesterday, outlining $27.8 billion in discretionary spending for transportation. That request includes $4.77 billion for rail, an increase of $1.36 billion over what Congress enacted into law last year.

The Biden Administration included a request for $3.07 billion for Amtrak, a $615 million increase over what Congress appropriated in FY23. This funding will allow Amtrak to finish restoring train operations to pre-pandemic levels (the railroad hit an important milestone on that front this month), as well as continue to build up its capacity to manage the surge in capital renewal projects advancing as a result of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill (BIL).

The White House also requested increases in funding for competitive rail grant programs, such the Federal-State Partnership for Passenger Rail Program, which funds upgrades to existing rail services as well as new corridor development, and the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program, which funds projects to improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of passenger and freight rail.

The President’s budget request emphasized rail safety in the wake of several high-profile freight train derailments, requesting $250 million for the Railroad Crossing Elimination Program, used to fund the upgrade and elimination of at-grade crossings along rail corridors.

As part of our RailNation:DC event, Rail Passengers will be asking that Congress appropriate rail programs at the fully authorized levels included as Bart of the BIL (see table below). REGISTER NOW!

The Biden Administration included a $17 billion request for the Federal Transit Administration, a small increase over FY23 enacted amounts. It remains to be seen how transit agencies will cope with post-pandemic dips in ridership and revenue, and many transit officials are warning of looming budget deficits.

The U.S. Department of Transportation also recommended $4.45 billion in funding for 18 large transit projects across 11 states, identifying a mix of BIL and Congressionally appropriated funds:

• California: Los Angeles Westside Subway Section 2 and Section 3 rail extensions to better connect downtown Los Angeles with the Westside. ($643 million) 
• California: BART Silicon Valley Phase II Project to extend BART service six miles through downtown San Jose to Santa. ($500 million)
• Illinois: Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line Extension project to build 5.6 miles of heavy rail to better connect Chicago’s South Side. ($350 million)
• Minnesota: Minneapolis Southwest Light Rail Transit project to add 14.5 miles to the existing METRO Green Line and better connect Minneapolis and Saint Paul. ($292 million)
• New York/New Jersey: Hudson Tunnel Project to construct a new two-track heavy rail tunnel along the Northeast Corridor for Amtrak and NJ Transit trains. ($700 million)
• New York: Second Avenue Subway Phase II Project to extend subway access to the Upper East Side and Harlem. ($497 million)
• Utah: Utah DOT’s FrontRunner Strategic Double Track project to upgrade sections of the current system and purchase 10 new train sets. ($317 million)
• Washington: Seattle Lynwood Link Light Rail extension project to extend light rail system from Northgate station to the Lynnwood City Center Station. ($251 million)

Presidential budget requests are merely the opening round of an extended negotiations process between the White House, the House, and the Senate. The House Committee on Appropriations is required to originate spending bills, and we expect the House GOP to lay out its transportation priorities in the coming months.