California State Rail Plan 2005-06 to 2015-16

2005-06 – 2015-16 California State Rail Plan
FFY 2005 BUDGET AND LEGISLATIVE REFORM PROPOSALS
In 2004, Congress was primarily engaged in reauthorizing surface transportation
programs and discussions on the future of Amtrak and intercity rail took a back
seat. Amtrak’s FY 2005-2009 Strategic Plan called for an annual Federal
appropriations level of $1.6 billion, which would allow Amtrak to make progress
on its goal toward achieving a state-of-good-repair. Amtrak initially requested
$1.8 billion from Congress for FFY 2005, but revised it downward to $1.5 billion
based on the ability to advance a number of capital projects. In November 2004,
Congress appropriated $1.2 billion for FFY 2005 funding, which included a
$20 million portion of a five-year repayment for the FFY 2002 loan of
$100 million. Amtrak was able to operate throughout FFY 2005 within this
appropriation level by drawing down on its working capital reserves.
FFY 2006 BUDGET AND LEGISLATIVE REFORM PROPOSALS
The Administration opened the FFY 2006 Amtrak budget deliberations in April
with a proposal that was identical to the “Passenger Rail Investment Reform Act
of 2003” and proposed zero funding for Amtrak unless reforms were instituted.
This proposal was introduced as H.R. 1713 in April 2005. Amtrak’s FY 2006
proposal was contained in their Amtrak Strategic Reform Initiatives and FY 06
Grant Request discussed above. The requested funding level was $1.82 billion.
A bi-partisan bill introduced by Senators Lautenberg and Lott (S. 1516) was
introduced in July 2005 that averaged about $1.9 billion in funding over the six
years of the bill’s reauthorization.
In June, the full House approved an Amtrak appropriations level of $1.2 billion,
and in July the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a $1.45 billion
appropriations level.
In late November, the President signed “The Transportation and Related Agencies
Appropriations Bill” for FFY 06. It includes $1.315 billion in funding for Amtrak,
including $780 million for capital projects with $280 million maximum for debt
service, $495 million for operations, and $40 million for efficiency incentive
grants.
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