As Amtrak continues to experience major declines in ridership and revenue, it is seeking $4.9 billion from Congress for fiscal 2021 for operating needs and to keep its large infrastructure and capital spending plans on schedule.
In a Nov. 23 press briefing, Stephen J. Gardner, Amtrak’s senior executive vice president, said, “We’ve got an aggressive fiscal ’21 capital program outlined." But Gardner added, “It relies on that additional funding that we have requested.”
Amtrak首席执行官Bill Flynn在陈述that if the railroad doesn't get the federal funds it has asked for, it also will have to make further cuts in rail service and its workforce.
The presumed vehicle for an Amtrak funding infusion is a major coronavirus relief and economic stimulus package. Negotiations on the legislation have seemingly stalled in recent weeks.
Amtrak's fiscal 2021 infrastructure list includes spending on the planned replacement for the Portal North Bridge in Newark, N.J. Amtrak, with New Jersey Transit, hopes to start construction in calendar 2021 on the project, Gardner said.
The plan also includes investment to advance improvements in the Hudson Tunnel between Manhattan and New Jersey
董事长托尼·科西亚（Tony Coscia）表示，这条铁路在2020财年的资本项目上花费了近20新利18备用网址亿美元。
基础设施工作包括在芝加哥联合车站进行的天窗替代品，在华盛顿特区的联合车站建造新轨道，并改进Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel in Baltimore，于1873年开业。
2020年总计还包括创纪录的1.09亿美元，以提高电台的可及性，包括在弗吉尼亚州蒙哥马利完成的项目和密西西比州的Picayune。新利18备用网址
It also completed installation of Positive Train Control, a system designed to regulate speed and avoid derailments and collisions.
The falloff in the number of trains and passengers has allowed Amtrak to accelerate projects. For example, Amtrak said that rail and concrete slab replacement in the B&P Tunnel, which normallly would have taken two to three years, was able to be completed in the summer just ended with extended service outages.
加德纳补充说：“这是投资的好时机。”他说，在基础设施上的支出可以使人们继续工作，并允许铁路通过改进的服务恢复。加德纳说：“我们希望国会能听到这一信息，并允许我们继续在铁路上进行投资。”
官员们还描述了Amtrak在9月30日结束的财政年度的结果。Coscia表示，铁路的收入下降了32％，至23亿美元，亏损了8亿美元。
Coscia说，2020年乘车率仅占流行前水平的25％。Coscia补充说，该公司在本财政年度的预计有所改善，但与前杂志的数字相比，数量仍为37％。
The outlook for a stimulus package is murky. In May, the House, controlled by Democrats, passed a $3-trillion relief bill.
在共和党人和特朗普政府以这一数字为单位之后，民主党领导人在11月3日大选之前降至约2.2万亿美元。财政部长史蒂文·姆努钦（Steven Mnuchin）提议提议1.8万亿美元，比较早的数字提高。
但是参议院多数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔（R-Ky。麦康奈尔的价格仅为5000亿美元。
当被问及即将到来的拜登 - 哈里斯政府时，科西亚说：“我们对为什么下一个政府将成为Amtrak的好合作伙伴以及真正的旅行公众有很多乐观。”President-elect Joe Biden is well-known as a long-time Amtrak advocate and frequent passenger.
Coscia还表示，在竞选期间和过渡期间，Amtrak从新政府那里收到了新政府的“非常令人鼓舞的迹象”。
