TWU International President John Samuelsen issued the following comment regarding the U.S. House of Representatives’ adoption of H. Res. 1061, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024.
“This is a big win for Amtrak passengers, mass transit riders, and union workers who move America. Far right ideologues – with zero care or concern for the nation’s wellbeing – tried to shut down Amtrak and cripple important mass transit infrastructure projects, like the Second Ave. Subway. They failed. Their insane funding cuts were rejected. The U.S House overwhelmingly sided with the TWU and the American people instead of extremists hell bent on destroying public transit and the high-quality jobs it supports.”
Projects that can now move forward include the next segment of the Second Ave. Subway in NYC, which is projected to carry hundreds of thousands of riders a day, and the replacement of Amtrak’s existing tunnel to Baltimore’s Penn Station, which is 150-year-old, is in terrible shape, and lacks modern fire and safety systems. Another project receiving funding is the replacement of the obsolete Point-No-Point Bridge in the New Jersey Meadowlands. The bridge is part of a freight rail network moving nearly 7,000 containers a day to and from hubs in New York City, New England and Chicago.