Biden’s $1.2 trillion plan, which faces a tightrope walk through the U.S. House and Senate, includes $579 billion in new spending for roads, bridges, public transit, airports, rail, water and power systems, broadband Internet and more. The compromise plan was worked out with a bipartisan group of senators.
Rail travel has been a particular point of discussion in Connecticut over recent months, with Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin among those calling for a new high-speed rail network to connect New York and New England and drastically reduce travel time in the region.
Biden’s proposed bipartisan infrastructure plan would not likely provide for that level of transformative project but would earmark $66 billion for Amtrak and other passenger and freight rail, marking “the largest federal investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak,” according to the White House. Some portion of the $49 billion set aside for public transportation could also go toward rail transit.
Though details remain scarce, that investment could mean improvements to Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, which travels up and down the East Coast, stopping along the Connecticut shoreline. Additionally, Gov. Ned Lamont recently announced a new plan to shave off 10 minutes of travel time between New Haven and New York City on MetroNorth, using primarily federal funds.
Still, Bronin said Friday that Connecticut needs a larger infusion of transportation cash, “so we can do more than just fix what’s broken.” Bronin, along with a coalition of mayors and others is backing a $105 billion plan to create a 100-minute high-speed rail link between Boston and New York.
“Like most people, I think it is a positive thing for our country that there is bipartisan agreement on a trillion-dollar infrastructure bill,” Bronin said. “But I also believe that in a number of areas, including rail, the amount included in that plan is not sufficient. We have failed to invest in our national infrastructure for so long that the strength and competitiveness of our country requires us to act big.”
Biden has already announced his intention to pair the bipartisan infrastructure plan with a separate, larger package that would pass through the budget reconciliation process. Bronin said he hopes that bill will include more money for transportation, to help fund projects like the new rail network.
Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat, said he welcomes an infusion of money for Connecticut’s transportation infrastructure but that his support for Biden’s bipartisan bill is contingent on a larger spending plan passing through reconciliation.
“My priority is making sure that Connecticut gets the money it needs to improve our roads, rails and bridges,” Murphy said in a statement released by his office. “I’m not going to entertain this smaller bipartisan bill unless we’re also moving forward on a reconciliation bill that provides significant additional funding for some of the hard infrastructure projects — especially passenger rail and the Northeast Corridor — but also tackles issues like climate change and expanding access to affordable child care.”
Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure legislation is built on a fragile compromise reached among a group of Democratic and Republican senators. Already, some Republicans who helped negotiate the plan have publicly waffled on supporting it, in an apparent attempt to deter Democrats from a larger bill through reconciliation.
The reconciliation bill would not only fund infrastructure improvements but also other Democratic priorities, such as the expansion of Medicare.
Rep. John Larson, a Democrat representing Connecticut’s first district, said in a statement that the bipartisan infrastructure plan includes “vital funding to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure and expand high speed rail” and could enable larger projects like Hartford 400, a new regional planning effort that would rebuild the region’s highways among other initiatives.
“I’m looking forward to working with the Biden Administration and my House and Senate colleagues to get this infrastructure bill across the finish line,” he said.
Larson sits on the House Ways and Means Committee, which will draft the reconciliation bill, which he said Friday “will include unprecedented investments in green energy and policies to support children and families.”
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