native to aviation and motor vehicle travel for inter-
city transportation in certain corridors linking major
metropolitan areas in the United States;
(2) high-speed rail may have environmental ad-
vantages over certain other forms of intercity trans-
portation;
(3) Amtrak’s Metroliner service between Wash-
ington, District of Columbia, and New York, New
York, the United States’ premier high-speed rail
service, has shown that Americans will use high-
speed rail when that transportation option is avail-
able;
(4) high-speed rail may help relieve congestion
experienced in densely travelled corridors;
(5) high-speed rail should be developed in those
intercity corridors where such service is appropriate;
(6) new high-speed rail service should not re-
ceive Federal subsidies for operating and mainte-
nance expenses;
(7) the States and localities should take the
prime responsibility for the implementation of high-
speed rail service;
(8) the private sector should participate in
funding the development of meritorious high-speed
rail systems;
(9) in some intercity corridors, Federal finan-
cial capital assistance is required to supplement the
financial commitments of State and local govern-
ments and the private sector to ensure the develop-
ment of the infrastructure required by meritorious
high-speed rail systems;
(10) new technologies can facilitate the develop-
ment of high-speed rail in the United States;
(11) the development of these technologies can
expand the competitiveness of United States indus-
try in the development of high-speed rail systems in
this country and overseas; and
(12) Federal assistance is required for research,
development and demonstration of these tech-
nologies.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL HIGH-SPEED RAIL ASSISTANCE PRO-
GRAM.
The Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform
Act of 1976 (45 U.S.C. 801 et seq.) is amended by adding
at the end thereof the following:
‘‘TITLE X HIGH-SPEED RAIL ASSISTANCE
‘‘DESIGNATION OF CORRIDORS
‘‘SEC. 1001. (a) The Secretary is authorized to des-
ignate as a high-speed rail corridor (HSR Corridor) any
corridor that serves two or more major metropolitan areas
in the United States where the Secretary determines that
high-speed rail offers the potential for cost-effective inter-
city public transportation as part of the Nation’s transpor-
tation system.
‘‘(b) Designations made by the Secretary under sub-
section (a) of this section shall be in response to a petition
from the governor(s) of a State or States that substan-
tially encompass the proposed corridor.
‘‘(c) Any petition submitted pursuant to subsection
(b) of this section shall include such information as the
Secretary determines to be necessary to evaluate the mer-
its of that corridor, including designation of a public agen-
cy to be responsible for coordination of activities under
this title and legally able to enter into financial assistance
agreements under sections 1002(c) and 1003(a) of this
title.
‘‘(d) A decision by the Secretary to designate a HSR
Corridor under subsection (a) of this section shall be based
on such criteria as the Secretary deems appropriate, in-
cluding—
‘‘(1) the integration of the HSR Corridor into
Statewide and metropolitan area transportation
planning undertaken pursuant to sections 134 and
135 of title 23, United States Code;
‘‘(2) the interconnection of the proposed high-
speed rail service with other parts of the Nation’s
transportation system, including the relationship of
the proposed service to multimodal terminals;
‘‘(3) the support and participation in the pro-
posed development of the HSR Corridor of the cities
which it would serve;
‘‘(4) the effect of the proposed high-speed rail
service on the congestion of other modes of transpor-
tation;
‘‘(5) the financial commitments of the State
and local governments and the private sector to de-
velopment of high-speed rail service;
‘‘(6) the effect of the proposed service on State
and local governments’ efforts to attain compliance
with the Clean Air Act;
‘‘(7) the anticipated level of ridership;
‘‘(8) the estimated capital cost of the proposed
system;
‘‘(9) the ability of the projected revenues of the
proposed service, including any financial commit-
ments of the State or local governments, to cover
capital costs and operating and maintenance ex-
penses;
‘‘(10) the support of any owners and operators
of existing rail facilities proposed for improvement in
developing high-speed rail service;
‘‘(11) if a State proposes to develop the HSR
Corridor through the award of a franchise to con-
struct and operate a proposed high-speed rail sys-
tem, the award and active implementation of such a
franchise and the involvement and support of the
holders of that franchise; and
‘‘(12) the effect of the proposed high-speed rail
service on other transportation services in operation
or under development.
‘‘(e) The Secretary shall, upon application of the
governor(s) of a State or States, designate as a HSR Cor-
ridor any intercity rail corridor designated as a high-speed
rail corridor by the Secretary under section 1010 of the
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991
(23 U.S.C. 104(d)(2)).
‘‘(f) The Secretary shall designate as a HSR Corridor
any intercity rail corridor, other than the mainline of the
corridor improved under title VII of this Act, that includes
a significant segment where regularly scheduled rail pas-
senger service operates at speeds in excess of one hundred
miles per hour on the date of enactment of the High-Speed
Rail Development Act of 1993, upon application of the
governor(s) of the State or States in which such corridor
is located.
‘‘CORRIDOR MASTER PLANS
‘‘SEC. 1002. (a) A public agency designated under
subsection 1001(c) of this title and seeking financial as-
sistance for development of a HSR Corridor designated
by the Secretary and eligible for funding under section
1003 of this title shall prepare and submit to the Sec-
retary a corridor master plan for that corridor.
‘‘(b) The corridor master plan prepared under sub-
section (a) of this section shall identify a coordinated pro-
gram of improvements to permit the establishment of
high-speed rail service in the corridor, including those im-
provements necessary to achieve high-speed service and
not eligible for financial assistance under section 1003(c)
of this title. Such plan shall include—
‘‘(1) identification of how the proposed high-
speed rail service relates to the statewide and metro-
politan area transportation plans for the affected
State(s) and metropolitan areas;
‘‘(2) identification of the specific elements that
comprise the program to achieve the high-speed
service, including their estimated costs, schedules,
timing and relationship with other projects and how
these elements fit into a plan to achieve high-speed
service;
‘‘(c) The Secretary is authorized to enter into an
agreement with the public agency preparing a corridor
master plan to fund up to 80 percent of the eligible costs
associated with preparation of such plan; Provided, how-
ever, That at least 20 per centum of such eligible costs
shall be funded with State or local funds. Eligible costs
associated with preparation of a corridor master plan shall
include design, environmental and route selection analysis,
preliminary engineering necessary to support such analy-
ses, and any other analyses that the Secretary determines
are required to prepare such a plan.
‘‘(e) An action by the Secretary under this section
shall not constitute a commitment to fund any element
or improvement contained in such corridor master plan.
‘‘FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR HIGH-SPEED RAIL
CORRIDORS
‘‘SEC. 1003. (a) The Secretary may enter into a fi-
nancial assistance agreement with a public agency des-
ignated under subsection 1001(c) of this title to fund eligi-
ble improvements to the infrastructure of a HSR Corridor
designated under section 1001(a) of this title for the pur-
pose of facilitating the development of high-speed rail serv-
ice; Provided however, That no financial assistance shall
be provided under this title for improvements to the main
line of a corridor improved under title VII of this Act,
or for improvements to a corridor in a State where the
State by law, regulation, or order prohibits the use of
State and/or local funds for the construction and/or oper-
ation of such improvements.
‘‘(b) The Secretary shall establish appropriate terms,
conditions, and procedures for the provision of financial
assistance under this section.
‘‘(c) Improvements eligible for financial assistance
under subsection (a) of this section shall be those improve-
ments to the infrastructure of an HSR Corridor, other
than the acquisition of rolling stock, that are necessary
to facilitate the development of high-speed service and that
are not eligible for funding under other Federal transpor-
tation programs, and which include—
‘‘(1) final engineering and design;
‘‘(2) site specific environmental analyses;
‘‘(3) acquisition of right-of-way and related
property;
‘‘(4) acquisition, construction, rehabilitation or
replacement of roadbed, structure, track, guideway,
signal and communications systems, electric traction
systems, propulsion or guidance systems incor-
porated as part of a guideway, maintenance-of-way
facilities, maintenance-of-equipment facilities, pri-
vate highway-rail grade crossings (including pay-
ments to property owners to close crossings where
appropriate) not eligible for funding under sections
130 and 133(b)(4) of title 23, United States Code,
those portions of terminals and stations directly re-
lated to the operation of the high-speed rail intercity
service, and environmental mitigation associated
with development of high-speed rail service.
‘‘(d) An agreement may not be entered into under
subsection (a) of this section unless it provides for the
completion of at least an element of a program to achieve
high-speed rail service, including portions thereof not eligi-
ble for financial assistance under subsection (c) of this
section.
‘‘(e) In entering into any agreement to provide finan-
cial assistance under subsection (a) of this section, the
Secretary shall ensure that such agreement includes the
maximum practicable private funding for any element of
a program to achieve high-rail service that is the subject
of such agreement.
‘‘(f) In entering into any agreement to provide finan-
cial assistance under subsection (a) of this section, the
Secretary may provide financial assistance for up to 80
per centum of the cost of specific eligible improvements
to be funded under the agreement; Provided however, That
no less than 20 per centum of the cost of such improve-
ments shall be provided by State and/or local funds and
that the overall financial assistance provided by the Sec-
retary under the agreement shall not exceed 50 per cen-
tum of the public share of the element funding. The public
share of an element’s funding consists of its total cost
minus the maximum practicable private funding for such
element.
‘‘(g) In determining whether to enter into a financial
assistance agreement to fund an element of a program to
improve a HSR Corridor, the Secretary shall consider how
the element to be funded under such agreement meets the
criteria identified in subsection 1001(d) of this title, the
information contained in the corridor master plan, the
transportation benefits to be derived from the element, the
level of financial commitments by the State and/or local
governments and/or private entities to fund the subject
element, commitments by the State and/or local govern-
ments and/or private entities to ensure completion of the
element, commitments by State and/or local governments
to fund any increases in the operating deficit of the Na-
tional Railroad Passenger Corporation that result from
operation over the HSR Corridor after the element is com-
pleted, and such other information that the Secretary
deems appropriate.
‘‘(h) The Secretary may provide financial assistance
under subsection (a) of this section for a element not con-
tained on an approved corridor master plan prepared
under section 1002 of this title only if a financial assist-
ance agreement for such improvement is entered into prior
to thirty months from the date of enactment of the High-
Speed Rail Development Act of 1993.
‘‘HIGH-SPEED RAIL TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
‘‘SEC. 1004. (a) The Secretary is authorized to un-
dertake research and development of steel-wheel-on-rail
technologies for commercial application in high-speed rail
service in the United States.
‘‘(b) In carrying out activities authorized in sub-
section (a) of this section, the Secretary may enter into
financial assistance agreements with any United States
private business, educational institution, State or local
government, public authority or agency of the Federal
Government.
‘‘DEFINITIONS
‘‘SEC. 1005. (a) The term ‘high-speed rail’ means rail
passenger transportation capable of operating at sustained
speeds of one hundred and twenty-five miles per hour or
greater.
‘‘(b) The term ‘element’ as used in sections 1002 and
1003 of this title means a discrete portion of a program
to develop a HSR Corridor that has a demonstrable inter-
city ground transportation benefit independent of other
improvements to such corridor.
‘‘(c) The term ‘State or local funds’ as used in this
title means funds generally available to State or local gov-
ernments to fund transportation projects excluding any
payments or contributions to State and/or local govern-
ments or authorities from holders of a franchise or other
private parties with an interest in the development or op-
eration of the high-speed rail system.
‘‘(d) The term ‘financial assistance agreement’ means
various forms of arrangements to provide financial assist-
ance, including grants, contracts or cooperative agree-
ments.’’.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) There are authorized to be appropriated to the
Secretary of Transportation for the National High-Speed
Rail Assistance Program authorized under sections 1002
and 1003 of title X of the Railroad Revitalization and
Regulatory Reform Act of 1976, such sums as may be nec-
essary for each of fiscal years 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997,
and 1998.
(b) There are authorized to be appropriated to the
Secretary for high-speed rail technology development au-
thorized under section 1004 of title X of the Railroad Re-
vitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976, such
sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 1994,
1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998.
(c) Section 601 of the Rail Passenger Service Act (45
U.S.C. 601) is amended by deleting paragraph (a)(1) and
inserting in lieu thereof, the following—
‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary for the benefit of the Corporation for making cap-
ital expenditures under title VII of the Railroad Revital-
ization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 (45 U.S.C.
851 et seq.), such sums as may be necessary for each of
fiscal years 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998.’’.
(d) Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated
under subsections (a) and (b) of this section, the Secretary
of Transportation may reserve the funds necessary for
payment of the administrative expenses incurred by the
Secretary in carrying out the Secretary’s responsibilities
under this title.
(e) Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated
under subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary of
Transportation may reserve up to 1 per centum for the
purpose of providing financial assistance to the public
agencies designated under section 1001(c) and responsible
for coordination of activities under this title on those cor-
ridors designated by the Secretary under section 1001(a).
This financial assistance may provide for up to 80 per cen-
tum of costs deemed eligible by the Secretary that are in-
curred by the public agencies in carrying out their respon-
sibilities under such sections 1002 and 1003 of this title,
such sums to be apportioned among the eligible public
agencies through a formula established by the Secretary.
(f) Financial assistance provided under subsection (e)
of this section shall be provided only pursuant an agree-
ment between the Secretary and a public agency whose
responsibility encompasses in whole or in part a HSR Cor-
ridor designated as such by the Secretary and eligible for
financial assistance under sections 1002 and 1003 of this
title.
(g) Funds made available under this section shall re-
main available until expended.
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