Representatives Cohen, Titus and Scholten Introduce Bill to Reauthorize the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program

WASHINGTON – Representatives Steve Cohen (TN-9), a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee and a passionate advocate of passenger rail service; Dina Titus (NV-1), the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, and Hillary Scholten (MI-3), a member of the T&I Committee, today introduced a bill to reauthorize the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP) Program through Fiscal Year 2031. Currently, authorization for FSP is set to expire at the end of Fiscal Year 2026.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funded the FSP to provide competitive grants for improving existing rail corridors and developing emerging corridors. Through December of 2024, $25.7 billion in FSP grants have been awarded for crucial repairs, infrastructure improvements and new intercity rail services across the country.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“As a longtime advocate of passenger rail service, I urge my colleagues to support the federal-state partnership that is preparing the United States for a surge in rail travel. I am looking forward to one day taking Amtrak along the recently identified Memphis-Nashville-Chattanooga-Atlanta corridor that is being funded by a Corridor ID grant and, eventually, along a route linking Memphis to Little Rock and beyond. Passenger rail is the future, and this bill ensures its ongoing support.”

Congresswoman Titus made the following statement:

“Funding from the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grant program is helping Brightline West bring high speed rail to Las Vegas. We need to reauthorize this critical program to improve and bring passenger rail service to more communities across the United States. Expanding service will make traveling safer and more enjoyable and be a boon to local economies.”

Congresswoman Scholten made the following statement:

“Connecting people to jobs, schools, and families through safe and reliable rail services are one of the smartest investments we can make to support our economy and our environment. In Michigan, we’ve already seen how programs like the Federal-State Partnership and Corridor ID help improve passenger rail services and help boost local economies. I’m proud to support this reauthorization so we can keep moving forward with better rail options for communities across the country.”

The bill would reauthorize both the FSP program and the Corridor ID program with $7.5 billion between Fiscal Years 2027 and 2031.

The bill is endorsed by the following organizations: Rail Passengers Association, SMART Transportation Division, Southern Rail Commission (SRC), Transportation for America (T4A)

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