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Sec. 2. Amendment of title 49, United States Code. 
Sec. 3. Definition. 
TITLE I—AUTHORIZATIONS 
Sec. 101. Authorization for Amtrak capital and operating expenses. 
Sec. 102. Repayment of long-term debt and capital leases. 
Sec. 103. Authorization for the Federal Railroad Administration. 
TITLE II—AMTRAK REFORM AND OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS 
Sec. 201. National railroad passenger transportation system defined. 
Sec. 202. Amtrak board of directors. 
Sec. 203. Establishment of improved financial accounting system. 
Sec. 204. Development of 5-year financial plan. 
Sec. 205. Restructuring long-term debt and capital leases. 
Sec. 206. Establishment of grant process. 
Sec. 207. Metrics and standards. 
Sec. 208. Methodologies for Amtrak route and service planning decisions. 
Sec. 209. State-supported routes. 
Sec. 210. Long-distance routes. 
Sec. 211. Northeast Corridor state-of-good-repair plan. 
Sec. 212. Northeast Corridor infrastructure and operations improvements. 
Sec. 213. Passenger train performance. 
Sec. 214. Alternate passenger rail service pilot program. 
Sec. 215. Employee transition assistance. 
Sec. 216. Special passenger trains. 
Sec. 217. Access to Amtrak equipment and services. 
Sec. 218. General Amtrak provisions. 
Sec. 219. Study of compliance requirements at existing intercity rail stations. 
Sec. 220. Oversight of Amtrak’s compliance with accessibility requirements. 
Sec. 221. Amtrak management accountability. 
Sec. 222. On-board service improvements. 
Sec. 223. Incentive pay. 
Sec. 224. Passenger rail service studies. 
Sec. 225. Report on service delays on certain passenger rail routes. 
Sec. 226. Plan for restoration of service. 
Sec. 227. Maintenance and repair facility utilization study. 
Sec. 228. Sense of the Congress regarding the need to maintain Amtrak as a na-
tional passenger rail system. 
TITLE III—INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL POLICY 
Sec. 301. Capital assistance for intercity passenger rail service. 
Sec. 302. Congestion grants. 
Sec. 303. State rail plans. 
Sec. 304. Tunnel project. 
Sec. 305. Next generation corridor train equipment pool. 
Sec. 306. Rail cooperative research program. 
Sec. 307. Federal rail policy. 
TITLE IV—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 
Sec. 401. Commuter rail mediation. 
Sec. 402. Routing efficiency discussions with Amtrak. 
Sec. 403. Sense of Congress regarding commuter rail expansion. 
Sec. 404. Locomotive biofuel study.
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Sec. 405. Study of the use of biobased technologies. 
Sec. 406. Cross-border passenger rail service. 
Sec. 407. Historic preservation of railroads. 
TITLE V—HIGH-SPEED RAIL 
Sec. 501. High-speed rail corridor program. 
Sec. 502. Additional high-speed rail projects. 
TITLE VI—CAPITAL AND PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PROJECTS 
FOR WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN AREA TRANSIT AUTHORITY 
Sec. 601. Authorization for capital and preventive maintenance projects for 
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. 
SEC. 2. AMENDMENT OF TITLE 49, UNITED STATES CODE. 
Except as otherwise specifically provided, whenever in 
this division an amendment is expressed in terms of an 
amendment to a section or other provision of law, the ref-
erence shall be considered to be made to a section or other 
provision of title 49, United States Code. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITION. 
In this division, the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Sec-
retary of Transportation. 
TITLE I—AUTHORIZATIONS 
SEC. 101. AUTHORIZATION FOR AMTRAK CAPITAL AND OP-
ERATING EXPENSES. 
(a) OPERATING GRANTS.—There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary for the use of Amtrak for op-
erating costs the following amounts: 
(1) For fiscal year 2009, $530,000,000. 
(2) For fiscal year 2010, $580,000,000. 
(3) For fiscal year 2011, $592,000,000. 
(4) For fiscal year 2012, $616,000,000.
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(5) For fiscal year 2013, $631,000,000. 
(b) INSPECTOR GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary for the Office of the Inspector 
General of Amtrak the following amounts: 
(1) For fiscal year 2009, $20,000,000. 
(2) For fiscal year 2010, $21,000,000. 
(3) For fiscal year 2011, $22,000,000. 
(4) For fiscal year 2012, $22,000,000. 
(5) For fiscal year 2013, $23,000,000. 
(c) CAPITAL GRANTS.—There are authorized to be ap-
propriated to the Secretary for the use of Amtrak for capital 
projects (as defined in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 
24401(2) of title 49, United States Code) to bring the North-
east Corridor (as defined in section 24102 of such title) to 
a state-of-good-repair and for capital expenses of the na-
tional rail passenger transportation system the following 
amounts: 
(1) For fiscal year 2009, $715,000,000. 
(2) For fiscal year 2010, $975,000,000. 
(3) For fiscal year 2011, $1,025,000,000. 
(4) For fiscal year 2012, $1,275,000,000. 
(5) For fiscal year 2013, $1,325,000,000. 
(d) PROJECT MANAGEMENT OVERSIGHT.—The Sec-
retary may withhold up to 1⁄2 of 1 percent of amounts ap-
propriated pursuant to subsection (c) for the costs of project
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management oversight of capital projects carried out by 
Amtrak. 
SEC. 102. REPAYMENT OF LONG-TERM DEBT AND CAPITAL 
LEASES. 
(a) PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST ON DEBT SERVICE.— 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary 
for the use of Amtrak for retirement of principal and pay-
ment of interest on loans for capital equipment, or capital 
leases, not more than the following amounts: 
(1) For fiscal year 2009, $285,000,000. 
(2) For fiscal year 2010, $264,000,000. 
(3) For fiscal year 2011, $288,000,000. 
(4) For fiscal year 2012, $290,000,000. 
(5) For fiscal year 2013, $277,000,000. 
(b) EARLY BUYOUT OPTION.—There are authorized to 
be appropriated to the Secretary such sums as may be nec-
essary for the use of Amtrak for the payment of costs associ-
ated with early buyout options if the exercise of those op-
tions is determined to be advantageous to Amtrak. 
(c) LEGAL EFFECT OF PAYMENTS UNDER THIS SEC-
TION.—The payment of principal and interest on secured 
debt, with the proceeds of grants authorized by this section 
shall not—
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(1) modify the extent or nature of any indebted-
ness of Amtrak to the United States in existence as 
of the date of enactment of this Act; 
(2) change the private nature of Amtrak’s or its 
successors’ liabilities; or 
(3) imply any Federal guarantee or commitment 
to amortize Amtrak’s outstanding indebtedness. 
SEC. 103. AUTHORIZATION FOR THE FEDERAL RAILROAD 
ADMINISTRATION. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary for the use of the Federal Railroad Administration 
such sums as necessary to implement the provisions re-
quired under this division for fiscal years 2009 through 
2013. 
TITLE II—AMTRAK REFORM AND 
OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS 
SEC. 201. NATIONAL RAILROAD PASSENGER TRANSPOR-
TATION SYSTEM DEFINED. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 24102 is amended— 
(1) by striking paragraph (2); 
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (3), (4), and (5) 
as paragraphs (2), (3), and (4), respectively; and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (4) as so redes-
ignated the following:
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‘‘(5) ‘national rail passenger transportation sys-
tem’ means— 
‘‘(A) the segment of the continuous North-
east Corridor railroad line between Boston, Mas-
sachusetts, and Washington, District of Colum-
bia; 
‘‘(B) rail corridors that have been des-
ignated by the Secretary of Transportation as 
high-speed rail corridors (other than corridors 
described in subparagraph (A)), but only after 
regularly scheduled intercity service over a cor-
ridor has been established; 
‘‘(C) long-distance routes of more than 750 
miles between endpoints operated by Amtrak as 
of the date of enactment of the Passenger Rail 
Investment and Improvement Act of 2008; and 
‘‘(D) short-distance corridors, or routes of 
not more than 750 miles between endpoints, op-
erated by— 
‘‘(i) Amtrak; or 
‘‘(ii) another rail carrier that receives 
funds under chapter 244.’’. 
(b) AMTRAK ROUTES WITH STATE FUNDING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 247 is amended by 
inserting after section 24701 the following: