(2) projected ridership levels for all Amtrak 
passenger operations; 
(3) revenue and expenditure forecasts for non- 
passenger operations; 
(4) capital funding requirements and expendi-
tures necessary to maintain passenger service which 
will accommodate predicted ridership levels and pre-
dicted sources of capital funding; 
(5) operational funding needs, if any, to main-
tain current and projected levels of passenger serv-
ice, including state-supported routes and predicted 
funding sources; 
(6) projected capital and operating require-
ments, ridership, and revenue for any new passenger 
service operations or service expansions; 
(7) an assessment of the continuing financial 
stability of Amtrak, such as Amtrak’s ability to effi-
ciently manage its workforce, and Amtrak’s ability 
to effectively provide passenger train service; 
(8) estimates of long-term and short-term debt 
and associated principal and interest payments (both 
current and anticipated); 
(9) annual cash flow forecasts; 
(10) a statement describing methods of esti-
mation and significant assumptions; 
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(11) specific measures that demonstrate meas-
urable improvement year over year in the financial 
results of Amtrak’s operations; 
(12) prior fiscal year and projected operating 
ratio, cash operating loss, and cash operating loss 
per passenger on a route, business line, and cor-
porate basis; 
(13) prior fiscal year and projected specific 
costs and savings estimates resulting from reform 
initiatives; 
(14) prior fiscal year and projected labor pro-
ductivity statistics on a route, business line, and cor-
porate basis; and 
(15) prior fiscal year and projected equipment 
reliability statistics. 
(c) STANDARDS
TO
PROMOTE
FINANCIAL
STA-
BILITY.—In meeting the requirements of subsection (b), 
Amtrak shall— 
(1) apply sound budgetary practices, including 
reducing costs and other expenditures, improving 
productivity, increasing revenues, or combinations of 
such practices; 
(2) use the categories specified in the financial 
accounting and reporting system developed under 
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section 203 when preparing its 5-year financial plan; 
and 
(3) ensure that the plan is consistent with the 
authorizations of appropriations under title I of this 
Act. 
SEC. 205. ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROCESS. 
(a) GRANT REQUESTS.—Amtrak shall submit grant 
requests (including a schedule for the disbursement of 
funds), consistent with the requirements of this Act, to 
the Secretary of Transportation for funds authorized to 
be appropriated to the Secretary for the use of Amtrak 
under sections 101(a), (c), and (d), 102, and 103(c) of 
this Act. 
(b) PROCEDURES FOR GRANT REQUESTS.—The Sec-
retary shall establish substantive and procedural require-
ments, including schedules, for grant requests under this 
section not later than 30 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act and shall transmit copies to the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 
(c) REVIEW AND APPROVAL.— 
(1) 30-DAY
APPROVAL
PROCESS.—The Sec-
retary shall complete the review of a complete grant 
request (including the disbursement schedule) and 
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approve or disapprove the request within 30 days 
after the date on which Amtrak submits the grant 
request. If the Secretary disapproves the request or 
determines that the request is incomplete or defi-
cient, the Secretary shall include the reason for dis-
approval or the incomplete items or deficiencies in 
the notice to Amtrak. 
(2) 15-DAY MODIFICATION PERIOD.—Within 15 
days after receiving notification from the Secretary 
under the preceding sentence, Amtrak shall submit 
a modified request for the Secretary’s review. 
(3) REVISED REQUESTS.—Within 15 days after 
receiving a modified request from Amtrak, the Sec-
retary shall either approve the modified request, or, 
if the Secretary finds that the request is still incom-
plete or deficient, the Secretary shall identify in 
writing to the House of Representatives Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Sen-
ate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans-
portation the remaining deficiencies and recommend 
a process for resolving the outstanding portions of 
the request. 
SEC. 206. STATE-SUPPORTED ROUTES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Within 2 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Board of Directors of Amtrak, 
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in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation and 
the governors of each relevant State and the Mayor of the 
District of Columbia or groups representing those officials, 
shall develop and implement a single, Nationwide stand-
ardized methodology for establishing and allocating the 
operating and capital costs among the States and Amtrak 
associated with trains operated on routes described in sec-
tion 24102(5)(B) or (D) or section 24702 that— 
(1) ensures, within 5 years after the date of en-
actment of this Act, equal treatment in the provision 
of like services of all States and groups of States 
(including the District of Columbia); and 
(2) allocates to each route the costs incurred 
only for the benefit of that route and a propor-
tionate share, based upon factors that reasonably re-
flect relative use, of costs incurred for the common 
benefit of more than 1 route. 
(b) REVIEW.—If Amtrak and the States (including 
the District of Columbia) in which Amtrak operates such 
routes do not voluntarily adopt and implement the meth-
odology developed under subsection (a) in allocating costs 
and determining compensation for the provision of service 
in accordance with the date established therein, the Sur-
face Transportation Board shall determine the appro-
priate methodology required under subsection (a) for such 
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services in accordance with the procedures and procedural 
schedule applicable to a proceeding under section 24904(c) 
of title 49, United States Code, and require the full imple-
mentation of this methodology with regards to the provi-
sion of such service within 1 year after the Board’s deter-
mination of the appropriate methodology. 
(c) USE OF CHAPTER 244 FUNDS.—Funds provided 
to a State under chapter 244 of title 49, United States 
Code, may be used, as provided in that chapter, to pay 
capital costs determined in accordance with this section. 
SEC. 207. METRICS AND STANDARDS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Within 180 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal 
Railroad Administration and Amtrak shall jointly, in con-
sultation with the Surface Transportation Board, rail car-
riers over whose rail lines Amtrak trains operate, States, 
Amtrak employees, nonprofit employee organizations rep-
resenting Amtrak employees, and groups representing 
Amtrak passengers, as appropriate, develop new or im-
prove existing metrics and minimum standards for meas-
uring the performance and service quality of intercity pas-
senger train operations, including cost recovery, on-time 
performance and minutes of delay, ridership, on-board 
services, stations, facilities, equipment, and other services. 
Such metrics, at a minimum, shall include the percentage 
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of avoidable and fully allocated operating costs covered by 
passenger revenues on each route, ridership per train mile 
operated, measures of on-time performance and delays in-
curred by intercity passenger trains on the rail lines of 
each rail carrier and, for long distance routes, measures 
of connectivity with other routes in all regions currently 
receiving Amtrak service and the transportation needs of 
communities and populations that are not well-served by 
other forms of public transportation. Amtrak shall provide 
reasonable access to the Federal Railroad Administration 
in order to enable the Administration to carry out its duty 
under this section. 
(b) QUARTERLY REPORTS.—The Administrator of 
the Federal Railroad Administration shall collect the nec-
essary data and publish a quarterly report on the perform-
ance and service quality of intercity passenger train oper-
ations, including Amtrak’s cost recovery, ridership, on- 
time performance and minutes of delay, causes of delay, 
on-board services, stations, facilities, equipment, and other 
services. 
(c) CONTRACT WITH HOST RAIL CARRIERS.—To the 
extent practicable, Amtrak and its host rail carriers shall 
incorporate the metrics and standards developed under 
subsection (a) into their access and service agreements. 
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(d) ARBITRATION.—If the development of the metrics 
and standards is not completed within the 180-day period 
required by subsection (a), any party involved in the devel-
opment of those standards may petition the Surface 
Transportation Board to appoint an arbitrator to assist 
the parties in resolving their disputes through binding ar-
bitration. 
SEC. 208. NORTHEAST CORRIDOR STATE-OF-GOOD-REPAIR 
PLAN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Within 9 months after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the National Railroad Passenger 
Corporation, in consultation with the Secretary and the 
States (including the District of Columbia) that make up 
the Northeast Corridor (as defined in section 24102 of 
title 49, United States Code), shall prepare a capital 
spending plan for capital projects required to return the 
railroad right-of-way (including track, signals, and auxil-
iary structures), facilities, stations, and equipment, of the 
Northeast Corridor to a state of good repair by the end 
of fiscal year 2024, consistent with the funding levels au-
thorized in this Act and shall submit the plan to the Sec-
retary. 
(b) APPROVAL BY THE SECRETARY.— 
(1) The Corporation shall submit the capital 
spending plan prepared under this section to the 
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Secretary of Transportation for review and approval 
pursuant to the procedures developed under section 
205 of this Act. 
(2) The Secretary of Transportation shall re-
quire that the plan be updated at least annually and 
shall review and approve such updates. During re-
view, the Secretary shall seek comments and review 
from the commission established under section 
24905 of title 49, United States Code, and other 
Northeast Corridor users regarding the plan. 
(3) The Secretary shall make grants to the Cor-
poration with funds authorized by section 101(d) of 
this Act for Northeast Corridor capital investments 
contained within the capital spending plan prepared 
by the Corporation and approved by the Secretary. 
(4) Using the funds authorized by section 
101(f) of this Act, the Secretary shall review Am-
trak’s capital expenditures funded by this section to 
ensure that such expenditures are consistent with 
the capital spending plan and that Amtrak is pro-
viding adequate project management oversight and 
fiscal controls. 
(c) ELIGIBILITY OF EXPENDITURES.—The Federal 
share of expenditures for capital improvements under this 
section may not exceed 100 percent. 
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SEC. 209. NORTHEAST CORRIDOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND 
OPERATIONS IMPROVEMENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 24905 is amended to read 
as follows: 
‘‘§ 24905. Northeast Corridor Infrastructure and Op-
erations Advisory Commission 
‘‘(a) NORTHEAST CORRIDOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND 
OPERATIONS ADVISORY COMMISSION.— 
‘‘(1) Within 180 days after the date of enact-
ment of the Passenger Rail Investment and Im-
provement Act of 2008, the Secretary of Transpor-
tation shall establish a Northeast Corridor Infra-
structure and Operations Advisory Commission 
(hereinafter referred to in this section as the ‘Com-
mission’) to promote mutual cooperation and plan-
ning pertaining to the rail operations and related ac-
tivities of the Northeast Corridor. The Commission 
shall be made up of— 
‘‘(A) members representing the National 
Railroad Passenger Corporation; 
‘‘(B) members representing the Secretary 
of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Ad-
ministration; 
‘‘(C) 1 member from each of the States 
(including the District of Columbia) that con-
stitute the Northeast Corridor as defined in sec-
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tion 24102, designated by, and serving at the 
pleasure of, the chief executive officer thereof; 
and 
‘‘(D) non-voting representatives of freight 
railroad carriers using the Northeast Corridor 
selected by the Secretary. 
‘‘(2) The Secretary shall ensure that the mem-
bership belonging to any of the groups enumerated 
under subparagraph (1) shall not constitute a major-
ity of the commission’s memberships. 
‘‘(3) The commission shall establish a schedule 
and location for convening meetings, but shall meet 
no less than four times per fiscal year, and the com-
mission shall develop rules and procedures to govern 
the commission’s proceedings. 
‘‘(4) A vacancy in the Commission shall be 
filled in the manner in which the original appoint-
ment was made. 
‘‘(5) Members shall serve without pay but shall 
receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
subsistence, in accordance with sections 5702 and 
5703 of title 5, United States Code. 
‘‘(6) The Chairman of the Commission shall be 
elected by the members. 
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