FY 2025 Appropriations

[lordsigma]

The House proposed THUD appropriations for FY25 is out.

Includes a 12% cut to both the NEC and National Network accounts. Also zeroes out the FedState partnership grant program. Absolutely all rail programs include a cut except for, unsurprisingly, CRISI, which funds primarily short line freight rail programs.

On the transit/commuter rail side there’s a huge over $1 billion cut to the FTA. Not surprisingly again these are coupled with increases to both the Highway Funds and the FAA.

RPA’s response
The House proposed THUD appropriations for FY25 is out.

https://www.railpassengers.org/happ...ers-statement-on-proposed-house-cuts-to-rail/

 

[BlackDiamond]

The House proposed THUD appropriations for FY25 is out.

Includes a 12% cut to both the NEC and National Network accounts. Also zeroes out the FedState partnership grant program. Absolutely all rail programs include a cut except for, unsurprisingly, CRISI, which funds primarily short line freight rail programs.

On the transit/commuter rail side there’s a huge over $1 billion cut to the FTA. Not surprisingly again these are coupled with increases to both the Highway Funds and the FAA.

RPA’s response
The House proposed THUD appropriations for FY25 is out.

https://www.railpassengers.org/happ...ers-statement-on-proposed-house-cuts-to-rail/

We are projecting a $2 Trillion deficit in 2024 and we are going to solve that by cutting a few million from rail projects. Got it.

 

[MARC Rider]

The House proposed THUD appropriations for FY25 is out.

Includes a 12% cut to both the NEC and National Network accounts. Also zeroes out the FedState partnership grant program. Absolutely all rail programs include a cut except for, unsurprisingly, CRISI, which funds primarily short line freight rail programs.

On the transit/commuter rail side there’s a huge over $1 billion cut to the FTA. Not surprisingly again these are coupled with increases to both the Highway Funds and the FAA.

RPA’s response
The House proposed THUD appropriations for FY25 is out.

https://www.railpassengers.org/happ...ers-statement-on-proposed-house-cuts-to-rail/

How does this compare to what the House proposed last year (FY24)?

 

[MarkInAustin]

Do the airlines still actively lobby against pasenger rail? Does freight rail lobby against passenger rail? Who are the constituent opponents of passenger rail?

 

[MARC Rider]

Do the airlines still actively lobby against pasenger rail? Does freight rail lobby against passenger rail? Who are the constituent opponents of passenger rail?

I think a lot of it is simply ideological. Lots of people think we're doing fine by having our mobility totally dependant on personal cars and airplanes; other forms of public transportation are just for the riffraff poor; passenger rail is 19th century technology, etc. Thus, funding passenger rail is a low priority to people who also think there's too much giverment spending already. Also, why should I pay for rail service to places where I don't live. Then there's the angle where a president of one party made a big deal about "high speed rail" (this was about 2010 or so) and his political opponents had a strategy of simply opposing everything he supported. I think some of that attitude still remains.

A lot of it is irrational, which is why after the performative politics of the partisan budget proposals, they'll end up with funding similar to that of the previous year.

And I don't think the Class 1 rrs are all that opposed to passenger rail. what they want would be higher track rental fees, keeping the lines open for their PSR thousand-car freight trains, and total exemption from any liability from crashes involving passenger trains.

 

[Willbridge]

Ideology on the right, lack of interest on the left or right, gadgetbahn preferences on the left and right.

When we (RTD) were designing the skyRide coach network for the new Denver airport, the Jefferson County commissioners sent us a nasty letter about how there was only one park-n-Ride planned in their county. That was correct, but there were two more in the direction of travel just across the county line. Quite often it seems that if a station is not physically in a district, it doesn't count, even though customers don't confine themselves to district boundaries. Party labels have no effect on this phenomenon.

 

[MARC Rider]

Ideology on the right, lack of interest on the left or right, gadgetbahn preferences on the left and right.

When we (RTD) were designing the skyRide coach network for the new Denver airport, the Jefferson County commissioners sent us a nasty letter about how there was only one park-n-Ride planned in their county. That was correct, but there were two more in the direction of travel just across the county line. Quite often it seems that if a station is not physically in a district, it doesn't count, even though customers don't confine themselves to district boundaries. Party labels have no effect on this phenomenon.

Oh, yeah, I forgot about the gadgetbahn freaks.

And your example of the provincialism of our elected officials takes the cake. I knew it was bad, but I didn't think it was that bad.