Progressive Railroading reports: “President Donald Trump’s proposed federal budget blueprint would cut the U.S. Department of Transportation’s budget by $2.4 billion, or 13 percent, to $16.2 billion, according to the document. “Regarding rail, the budget calls for terminating federal support for Amtrak’s long-distance service; eliminating the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) discretionary grant program; and limiting funding for the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Program (New Starts) to projects with existing full funding grant agreements only. “The budget request streamlines the department to focus on ‘vital federal safety oversight functions and investing in nationally and regionally significant transportation infrastructure projects,’ the document states.”
