I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 609 

To amend title 49, United States Code, to require Amtrak to convey of 

certain properties to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 28, 2021 

Mr. SMUCKER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To amend title 49, United States Code, to require Amtrak 

to convey of certain properties to the Commonwealth 

of Pennsylvania, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. EXPEDITED PROPERTY CONVEYANCE. 

4 Section 24301 of title 49, United States Code, is 

5 amended by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(p) EXPEDITED PROPERTY CONVEYANCE.— 

7 ‘‘(1) On or before June 30, 2021: 


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1 ‘‘(A) Amtrak shall convey to the Common2 wealth of Pennsylvania all of its rights and title 

3 in— 

4 ‘‘(i) the Keystone Line and stations 

5 between Harrisburg and Philadelphia, 

6 Pennsylvania, including all of Amtrak’s 

7 passenger stations along that line east of 

8 William H. Gray III 30th Street Station in 

9 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 

10 ‘‘(ii) all of Amtrak’s other passenger 

11 stations, excluding Amtrak’s William H. 

12 Gray III 30th Street Station and North 

13 Philadelphia Station, located within the 

14 Commonwealth along Amtrak’s Northeast 

15 Corridor and used for commuter rail pas16 senger service as of May 1, 2020; 

17 ‘‘(iii) sections of track on or along 

18 Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor immediately 

19 south of William H. Gray III 30th Street 

20 Station in Philadelphia that are solely used 

21 by and maintained by Southeastern Penn22 sylvania Transportation Authority; and 

23 ‘‘(iv) Amtrak’s obligations to the 

24 United States as determined by the Sec25 retary under subparagraph (C). 


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1 ‘‘(B) Amtrak shall be entitled to use the 

2 properties conveyed pursuant to subparagraph 

3 (A) on the same terms and conditions and right 

4 to determination by the United States Surface 

5 Transportation Board as afforded commuter 

6 authorities operating over Amtrak’s lines pursu7 ant to section 24903. 

8 ‘‘(C) The Secretary shall— 

9 ‘‘(i) determine what portion of the 

10 note and mortgage the Secretary obtained 

11 from Amtrak to secure the amounts paid 

12 by the United States to acquire Amtrak’s 

13 Northeast Corridor should be allocated, 

14 based on the original purchase price paid 

15 by the United States, to the properties to 

16 be conveyed under subparagraph (A); and 

17 ‘‘(ii) at the time of the conveyance 

18 under subparagraph (A), assign that por19 tion of the note and mortgage to the Com20 monwealth of Pennsylvania. 

21 ‘‘(2) Amtrak shall be entitled to no compensa22 tion for the conveyances mandated in paragraph 

23 (1)(A), and, exclusively for the purposes of this sub24 section, notwithstanding any other provision of the 


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1 law, shall be deemed an agency of the United 

2 States.’’. 

Æ 


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