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Time flies when you’re having fun—and also, it seems, when Congress actually does something that materially benefits the country.

It’s already been five years since the landmark Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)—also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)—was passed. This legislation made historic investments in the nation’s passenger rail network. It allowed Amtrak to upgrade its fleets, as well as repair and replace its crumbling bridges and tunnels; and it gave states an invaluable pathway to expanding existing service and restoring discontinued routes.

Though it feels like many of the projects that the BIL authorized are just beginning to see the light of day, we are now on the brink of having to kiss much of that progress goodbye—that is, unless we can do something about it. See, Congress gets together twice a decade to formulate a new policy roadmap for railroads, roads, pipelines, and some aspects of inland waterways. This is known as a Surface Transportation Reauthorization. That, in part, is what the BIL was.

Now, Congress is looking at the next five years of transportation policy—and it’s not looking promising. The proposed BUILD America 250 Act would slash much of the funding that our passenger rail system desperately needs if it is ever to fulfill the public purpose that Congress itself has mandated for it. It would also kneecap some of the signature programs the the BIL established.

On top of the setbacks for passenger rail, BUILD America 250 would also be a betrayal of shippers, workers, and communities who are bearing the brunt of a freight rail system that is accountable only to Wall Street and has abandoned its public purpose. Proposed legislation like the Reliable Rail Service Act and the All Aboard Act are long-awaited responses to this situation, yet no part of either bill made it into this reauthorization package.

Rail Passengers Association (RPA) President and CEO Jim Mathews has been working closely with Congressional staffers over the past several months to try to ensure that this Reauthorization lives up to its potential. He has nothing but praise for their good-faith efforts. But Mr. Mathews is clear that the BUILD America 250 Act, as currently written, simply does not make the cut.

I was fortunate to be joined by Mr. Mathews late last month for a thorough—and delightfully expansive—conversation about the present predicament. We discussed not only the reasons why this legislation must go back to the drawing board, but also the myths and ideologies that continue to hamper passenger rail transport in this country, and the vision that is needed to get us back on track.

This bill is undoubtedly a failure. As a betrayal on many fronts, however, it also presents an opportunity to expand and deepen our alliances, and to build power for the transformational change that is necessary to put U.S. railroads back in service of the public interests they have largely abandoned.

With Gratitude & Solidarity,

Bill Moyer

Reconnect America is hosted by Bill Moyer, co-author of the book Solutionary Rail: A People-powered Campaign to Electrify America’s Railroads and Open Corridors to a Clean Energy Future. Check out the essays and supplemental posts that complement this podcast HERE.

Learn more, get involved and pitch in to support the work of Solutionary Rail at SolutionaryRail.org. Keep the podcast ads-free and without paywalls by making a tax-deductible donation HERE.