DOT $73.3 Billion Budget Request Includes New Funding for High-Speed Rail

May 13, 2009

DOT $73.3 Billion Budget Request Includes New Funding for High-Speed Rail

For Immediate Release: May 13, 2009
For more information contact us at (202) 662-1883 or policy [at] eesi.org

The President’s FY 10 budget request includes $73.3 billion for the Department of Transportation (DOT) to fund construction, maintenance, and operation activities for federally-funded highways, railways, public transit systems, and air transportation. This represents an increase of approximately $1.8 billion (2.5 percent above FY 09 appropriations).

The President’s FY 10 budget request for DOT includes:

  • $1 billion for development of high-speed rail infrastructure as part of a $5 billion dollar plan to support high-speed rail over the next five years. This regular budget funding builds on an initial $8 billion of support for high-speed rail that was included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5)
  • Each of the modal agencies within DOT received a level or slight increase in funding levels including $41.8 billion for the Federal Highway Administration, $10.3 billion for the Federal Transit Administration, $2.7 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration ($1.5 billion for Amtrak), and $16 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration (which includes $865 billion to upgrade the nation’s air traffic control system)
  • $18.5 billion to fund safety programs intended to reduce annual fatality and injury rates associated with transportation. The majority of this funding is split between the Federal Highway Administration ($9.7 billion) and the Federal Aviation Administration ($7 billion). $11 million in safety funds would go to the Federal Transit Administration.