CORRIDOR IDENTIFICATION & DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

The  CID Program  focuses on identifying key transportation routes or corridors that require development or improvement to facilitate economic growth, improve mobility, and enhance overall quality of life for residents and businesses.

The CID Program is intended to become the primary means for directing federal financial support and technical assistance toward the development of proposals for both new and improved intercity passenger rail services throughout the U.S.

Section 22214 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) of 2021 tasks the FRA to evaluate the restoration of daily intercity passenger rail service and the potential for new Amtrak long-distance routes. 

Amtrak Explorer is an interactive map of America's public railway network created by Rachel Binx, a creative technologist specializing in data visualization, mapping, and other things. You can click on your favorite lines and cities and see when the trains come and where they go. And then there's Amtrak's own visualization, not so pretty but showing where the trains are right now.

The Biden administration announced last Monday that it has awarded more than $1.4 billion to projects that improve railway safety and boost capacity, with much of the money coming from the 2021 infrastructure law.  

“These projects will make American rail safer, more reliable, and more resilient, delivering tangible benefits to dozens of communities where railroads are located, and strengthening supply chains for the entire country,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.

The debut of Brightline service linking Miami to the central Florida tourist mecca is giving rail advocates hope that passenger rail will gain popularity elsewhere, too.

“Americans from all across the country will be flying to Orlando and have the opportunity to take the train—a modern train—to Miami,” said Rick Harnish, the executive director of the High Speed Rail Alliance. “They’ll see what American trains can be and hopefully start telling their congressman they want them back home, too.”

This legislation positions rail to play a central role in our transportation and economic future, investing $66 billion in additional rail funding to eliminate the Amtrak maintenance backlog, modernize the Northeast Corridor, and bring world-class rail service to areas outside the northeast and mid-Atlantic. This is the largest investment in passenger rail since Amtrak’s creation, 50 years ago and will create safe, efficient, and climate-friendly alternatives for moving people and freight.

The Amtrak Connects US Corridor Vision presented a comprehensive plan for developing and expanding our nation’s transportation infrastructure to enhance mobility, drive economic growth, and reduce emissions in communities across the United States.

The Long-Distance Service Study presents an opportunity to establish and bolster essential intercity passenger rail connections and build a stronger rail network overall—one that would allow people to get where they need to go safely and efficiently.

In some communities, long-distance trains are the only common carrier passenger transportation option available, and the long-distance network provides millions of Americans with transportation options other than a personal vehicle.

There are a myriad of advocacy groups across the country.  If you know of one that has been missed please let us know and we will be sure to alert Rail Passengers Association to add it.

The Private Railroad Car Tax program values and assesses railroad cars not owned by railroad companies, but operated on railway lines within California. This is the only property tax administered and collected by the State.

• Private Railroad Car Tax Overview
• 2024 Calendar for the Assessment and Collection of Private Railroad Car Tax
• Property Statement Reporting Forms and Instructions
• Recommendation for Assessment of Private Railroad Cars – 2024 (Adopted by the Board on July 23, 2024)
• Private Railroad Tax Rate FY 2024-25

Taxpayers' Rights Advocate