Reject Cuts to Amtrak to Support Green Transportation

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In the context of escalating climate change, support for passenger rail travel is a no-brainer. According to a recent federal report on decarbonizing the transportation sector, “On average, Amtrak is 34% more energy-efficient than flying for every mile a passenger travels, and 46% more energy-efficient than driving. The precise carbon savings vary by route, and depend on whether a train runs on electricity or diesel fuel, but taking Amtrak can be half as carbon intensive as flying.”

H.R. 4820, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2024, calls for a 64% cut to Amtrak funding below the levels agreed to for 2023, and an 85% reduction to the Federal Transit Administration’s main capitalization program. Proposed cuts to Amtrak include a 92% reduction in funds to the Northeast Corridor, which carries more than 2,200 trains every day. This bill also threatens the elimination of Amtrak service for hundreds of cities and small towns across the U.S. Many of these rural communities don’t have access to intercity bus transportation or a regional airport.

Rather than cutting this important and climate-positive service, we should be pushing for expansion. Demand your representative oppose this harmful bill.