The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recently released a video of the group’s Council on Rail Transportation legislative meeting, held in March.

Amit Bose, administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, and Stephen Gardner, Amtrak’s president and chief executive officer, were featured speakers at that meeting, held in Washington D.C.

In opening remarks, Jim Tymon – AASHTO’s executive director – focused on implementation of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA, enacted in November 2021.

Tymon said the IIJA delivers approximately $66 billion in advanced appropriations for rail programs this year and authorizes up to an additional $36 billion over the next five years for rail.