Intercity passenger rail corridors are poised to gain more funding opportunities under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act before the end of the year, as the U.S. transit industry continues to receive record levels of investment. Transit and rail ridership is recovering from the pandemic, but advocates continue to grapple with labor and climate change issues.
Ridership nationwide is at about 70% recovery, said Paul Skoutelas, president and CEO of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), speaking to attendees of its annual meeting in Seattle Oct. 11-12. While celebrating the record $210 billion in federal investment over five years, he also noted that worker shortages are leading to service reductions at some agencies. “We are wrapping infrastructure investment in the stories of our riders,” he said, speaking to public advocacy of transit.