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Amtrak Capital Grants
Funding for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), which the Corporation uses to fund operating and capital expenditures, is requested annually both by the Administration through the Department of Transportation (DOT) budget request and directly by Amtrak through its Federal Grant and Legislative Request to Congress. In conjunction with operating revenues and funds from state and local governments, Amtrak uses its Federal appropriations to cover its operating expenses and to maintain and improve its rolling stock (e.g. locomotives and passenger cars) and fixed capital assets (e.g. stations, track, and signals).
Prior to Fiscal Year (FY) 2003, Congress had generally given Amtrak discretion to allocate its use of Federal funding, though occasionally designating amounts specific to capital expenses or operating expenses. However, in FY 2001 and 2002 Amtrak experienced a series of financial crises, which required extraordinary measures on the part of the DOT and Congress in order to avert a shut-down of the country’s intercity passenger rail system and many of its commuter rail systems. In response to these events, Congress instituted new oversight measures as part of Amtrak’s FY 2003 appropriations that require DOT to approve Amtrak’s allocation of Federal funding. These changes, slightly modified in FY 2004, have divided appropriated funds into designated operating and capital expense accounts, which FRA monitors on a monthly basis. Federal grants to these accounts are disbursed quarterly rather than in a lump sum; and Amtrak must submit a detailed business plan, updated as necessary, for approval by the Secretary of Transportation.
The table below shows Amtrak's funding since its creation, combining both operating and capital grants (which are occasionally separated in appropriating legislation even prior to FY 2003). The amount includes $3,937.3 million spent by the FRA on the Northeast Corridor Improvement Project between 1976 and 1998, though not any federal loans or loan guarantees.* This amount does not include $1.3 billion in capital funds appropriated for Amtrak in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
| Fiscal Year | Annual Total $ millions |
|---|---|
| 1971-72 | $40.0 |
| 1973 | $170.0 |
| 1974 | $140.0 |
| 1975 | $276.5 |
| 1976 (incl. transition quarter to new fiscal calendar) | $651.2 |
| 1977 | $800.7 |
| 1978 | $1,116.0 |
| 1979 | $1,269.0 |
| 1980 | $1,244.4 |
| 1981 | $1,256.3 |
| 1982 | $905.0 |
| 1983 | $895.0 |
| 1984 | $816.4 |
| 1985 | $711.6 |
| 1986 | $602.7 |
| 1987 | $624.0 |
| 1988 | $608.4 |
| 1989 | $603.6 |
| 1990 | $629.1 |
| 1991 | $815.1 |
| 1992 | $856.0 |
| 1993 | $891.1 |
| 1994 | $908.7 |
| 1995 | $972.0 |
| 1996 | $750.0 |
| 1997 | $843.0 |
| 1998 | $1,686.0 |
| 1999 | $1,701.2 |
| 2000 | $571.0 |
| 2001 | $520.3 |
| 2002 (incl. $205 mid-year supplemental) | $831.5 |
| 2003 | $1,043.2 |
| 2004 | $1,217.8 |
| 2005 | $1,207.3 |
| 2006 | $1,293.6 |
| 2007 | $1,293.6 |
| 2008 | $1,325.0 |
| 2009 | $1,490* |
| 2010 | $1,565 |
| SOURCE - FRA Records | |