Are trains in our future?

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About 15 years ago, I took my first and only trip to Italy. Among the many wonderful memories I have of that time was the ease of intercity travel. On trips from Rome to Florence and then on to Venice we were able to ride on Eurostar Italia’s high-speed trains, with service running up to 155 mph. In addition to a smooth ride, they provided our four-seat booth with the equivalent of little picnic table between us and complimentary bottled water. My thought then was, “Why couldn’t we have that kind of service in the U.S.?”

I have had the opportunity to take some notable rail trips here in America. Once I traveled from Oakland to Denver, crossing the Sierra Nevada and later the Rockies, and catching glimpses of aspen in bloom from my seat in a California Zephyr, with its glass-roofed Vista-Dome observation car. Another memorable trip was the one from downtown Skagway, Alaska, into Canada’s Yukon Territory via the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway. This is a narrow-gauge line that was originally built for the Klondike Gold Rush. Today, it is operated as a scenic heritage railroad.

Travel by rail was part of my family history. As a toddler, I moved from New York City to Philadelphia. We were always heading back to New York on the old Pennsylvania Railroad for family events, for special occasions, special shows, even special foods. Once, my parents took me to Philadelphia’s 30th Street station and deposited my 9-year-old self alone on a New York-bound train, in the expectation that friends would meet me at the other end. (They did.)

Americans today are very divided about passenger trains, as they are about so many things. When it comes to public investments in rail service, some see value in having this mode of travel available; others would be just as happy to zero these items out of the budget.

Currently, Congress is considering a proposal for surface transportation funding reauthorization. The House Transportation and Infrastructure committee introduced the Build Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America’s 250th (BUILD America 250) Act, which covers funding for highways, tunnels and bridges as well as intercity trains and local transit systems.

The Rail Passenger Association, an advocacy group, has analyzed this draft legislation. They report “Although the draft contains constructive policy updates, the projected funding levels present a significant threat to the survival of the national passenger rail network.” RPA further states, “While the BUILD America 250 Act appears to authorize $63.9 billion for five years, there is a critical caveat: this funding is not guaranteed … the act places all funding at the mercy of the annual congressional appropriation process. Given that appropriators have historically failed to secure even a fraction of that amount for rail, the lack of dedicated service could lead to an 80% drop in actual funding relative to current levels.”

RPA concludes with this assessment: “BUILD America 250 contains plenty of smart, well-intentioned policy tweaks, many of which passenger advocates had long fought for. However, a policy framework without dedicated capital is like a new car without an engine. Without guaranteed funding, the progress made over the past few years is at serious risk of grinding to a halt.”

This threat hangs over the national rail network, even as Amtrak is experiencing record ridership. In Fiscal Year 2025, it recorded over 34 million passengers, up from about 32.8 million in the prior year. Ridership growth has been particularly strong in the Northeast Corridor, served by Acela and Northeast Regional trains. New routes have also entered the picture, contributing to this growth. These include the Gulf Coast “Mardi Gras” service between Mobile, Alabama and New Orleans. And the Borealis, providing service between Chicago and the Twin Cities. The latter welcomed nearly a quarter of a million riders in its first full year. And that California Zephyr that I rode many years ago is one of Amtrak’s fastest-growing long-distance routes, carrying just over 400,000 passengers in the last fiscal year.

Those of us in greater Baltimore, faced with congestion in our highway networks and air transportation system, should welcome the anticipated rail transportation improvements for our region that would come with the promised funding. Among these are Penn Station’s modernization, including two new high-level platforms that increase capacity and provide Acela with greater flexibility; a new fully ADA-accessible West Baltimore MARC station; and additional investments that will support higher-speed Acela operations, more on-time service, and enhanced capacity for both Amtrak and MARC service between Baltimore and Washington.

Joe Nathanson is the retired principal of Urban Information Associates, a Baltimore-based economic and community development consulting firm. Since 2001, he has written a monthly column for The Daily Record and can be contacted at [email protected].