The Administration's FY 2021 Budget request provides $13.2 billion for public transportation, a $303 million increase from the FY 2020 enacted level.
Aaron Kittredge
2 min to read
The Administration's FY 2021 Budget request provides $13.2 billion for public transportation, a $303 million increase from the FY 2020 enacted level.
Aaron Kittredge
On Monday, the President and his Administration submitted its FY 2021 Budget request, which provides $13.2 billion for public transportation, a $303 million increase from the FY 2020 enacted level, as well as $1.8 billion for passenger rail grant programs — a proposed cut of $712 million.
The Administration also outlined a 10-year, $810 billion surface transportation reauthorization. The proposed reauthorization is $75 billion above current law levels, with the Administration stating it wants to work with Congress to identify a combination of budget proposals to pay for the $261 billion gap between Highway Trust Fund revenues and proposed spending levels.
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The proposal includes $155.4 billion for public transit over the 10-year period (FY 2021 – FY 2030), with the Administration stating it will submit a comprehensive surface transportation reauthorization proposal in the coming months.
In regards to passenger rail, the proposal includes $16.6 billion for rail infrastructure over the 10-year period (FY 2021 – FY 2030). The Administration proposes that federal operating support for Amtrak's long-distance routes would be provided through a new account and subsequently phased out entirely.
Separately, the Administration proposes an additional $190 billion for other infrastructure improvements. The proposed investments include $60 billion for a new Building Infrastructure Great grants program for "mega-projects", including transit and rail capital investments, and $20 billion for a Transit State of Good Repair Sprint program to reduce the large and growing state-of-good-repair transit backlog.
“We are encouraged by the momentum behind increased investment in public transportation and look forward to working with the Administration and Congress to enact a FY2021 budget and to authorize new surface transportation legislation prior to its expiration on September 30, 2020,” said APTA President/CEO Paul P. Skoutelas. “Providing the necessary investment to bring our public transit systems to a state of good repair and meet growing community demands for increased mobility choices would reap economic and environmental benefits nationwide.”
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
The service is a flexible, reservation-based transit service designed to close the first- and last-mile gaps and connect riders to employment for just $5 per day.
The upgraded system, which went live earlier this month, supports METRO’s METRONow vision to enhance the customer experience, improve service reliability, and strengthen long-term regional mobility.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.
