APTA Urges Congress to Fully Fund Public Transit, Passenger Rail

APTA sent a letter to leaders of the House and Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittees this week, urging them to “honor the promise of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)” and provide funding levels at least equal to the IIJA’s public transportation and passenger rail investments for FY25.

The letter noted that these investments in public transportation will help communities of all sizes flourish, connecting workers to jobs, students to schools, and all people to healthcare. Specifically, APTA urged that at least $21.9 billion for public transit and $20.6 billion for passenger and freight rail be provided.

APTA added that it strongly supports at least $4.6 billionfor FTA’s Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program. “This funding has strong bipartisan support and will help our communities begin to address the demand for more mobility choices. These critical infrastructure investments help communities, large and small, design and construct new BRT, commuter rail, subway, and light rail systems and extensions. Today, 65 projects across the nation are seeking almost $42 billion of CIG funds in FY25 and subsequent years,” the letter noted.

APTA also is encouraging full funding for passenger rail, including Amtrak, Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail, Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements, and Railroad Crossing Elimination Grants. In addition, APTA is urging Congress to provide the fully authorized amount of $3 billion for Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity Grants, which will “help communities create more resilient, multimodal transportation systems to meet today’s equity, mobility, and climate challenges.”