HIGH-SPEED RAIL TRANSPORTATION ACT I

WRITTEN BY - Sen. James Brown (D-Dixie)

101st Congress of the United States

COSPONSORS

IN BRIEF

To provide funding towards a study of potentially new high speed rail routes, as well as improvement suggestions towards current Amtrak lines.

## Section 1. Name of Bill

This Bill will be known as the High-Speed Rail Transportation Act I for the duration of this bill, in all debates, and following enactment by the executive branch will carry the same title.

## Section 2. Findings and Definitions

FINDINGS

1. Whereas, constructing and establishing more high-speed rail routes within the United States would grow the national economy, incentivize more travel between our cities, and further research & engineering development in regards to rail management & construction.
2. Whereas, improving the Northeast Corridor is imperative for improving Amtrak service and funding
3. Whereas, to establish new guidelines on future public transportation projects & rail construction
4. Whereas, to incentivize private investment into our passenger railways, instead of a pure reliance on Amtrak and state-owned rail agencies.

DEFINITIONS

1. High-Speed Rail - Passenger rail service, consisting of trains that can carry speeds in excess of 125 mph, and usually containing fewer stations than traditional rail service lines.
2. Northeast Corridor - An electrified rail line owned by Amtrak, running service between Washington, D.C., and Boston, Massachusetts.

## Section 3. Amtrak

Upon the passage of this legislation, the following reforms would be made towards Amtrak:

1. $100 million shall be provided to Amtrak, for the specific tasks:
	1. Developing a plan for identifying new potential high-speed rail routes across the United States, to be developed & constructed by 2010.
	2. Developing a plan for identifying potential new projects for enhancing and improving transportation speeds & management of the Northeast Corridor, including tunnel & bridge renovations, the development of new stations, etc.
	3. Identifying the costs of acquiring right of way, tracks, and related facilities for currently-used railroads across the United States.
	4. Calculating the costs of backlog repairs for existing railroads across the United States
2. The Department of Transportation shall provide a $40 million grant towards any private corporation, both within the United States and other nations, as well as state-owned companies from other nations, who wish to provide intercity rail service within the United States.
	1. The $40 million shall be provided to 3 chosen private corporations, after assessment by the Department of Transportation.
3. The Department of Transportation shall establish studies regarding incentivizing private corporations for investing into Amtrak and investing into new intercity transportation services.

## Section 4. Miscellaneous Reforms

Upon the passage of this legislation, the following reforms shall be made for present and future public transportation projects:

1. Environmental Impact Statements for public transportation projects, both undergoing currently and planned for the future, shall be limited to 75 pages.
	1. Environmental Impact reviews for public transportation projects shall be no longer than 2 years in length.
2. Public transportation projects, both undergoing currently and planned for the future, shall be exempt from review under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
3. The following rules shall be established for the construction of future high-speed rail transit projects:
	1. No tracks carrying trains traveling in excess of 100 mph may cross public or private roads carrying any form of automotive transport.
	2. All routes must prioritize paths of least resistance and to avoid paths displacing family homes and/or businesses.

## Section 5. Funding

TOTAL BILL IMPLEMENTATION COST - $140 million

* Section 3a - $100 million
* Section 3b - $40 million