Joe Biden made a plan to help our transit systems. The White House released its plan, which will rebuild the transportation system with $621 billion in federal investment. These are changes that should help our country’s struggling transit systems improve, heal, and modernize. The proposal will include a $105 billion transit system block grant program.
“The Biden plan will put Americans to work upgrading our critical infrastructure, modernizing our transit systems, and repairing our roads and bridges,” said vice president Kamala Harris. “This plan is good for the economy, good for the environment, and good for American businesses.”
Transit systems need to get better. Our transit systems have been deteriorating. Transit ridership is still falling, with almost no progress on reversing the trend. The American Society of Civil Engineers gives our country’s surface transportation system a grade of D-minus. Six years ago, Congress passed a law that has not made much progress – in fact, and it’s moving us backward in many ways.
The Biden plan will move us forward. It will invest $105 billion in dedicated funding for public transit projects and set aside more than $600 billion in grants to state and local governments. They will also award $1 billion to proven high-risk, high-reward research strategies that can improve the safety of our air transportation system. The plan proposes increasing capacity and reducing the need for delays at airports across the country by investing $25 billion in airport improvements.
The White House is working with Congress on making all of these changes. The Biden administration released the proposed legislation for the reforms, and Congress is debating this bill. The plan would create a $21 billion line-of-credit loan program for transit agencies that purchase rail cars and buses. It would also invest an additional $4 billion in TIGER grants that assist transit projects and modernize roads and bridges, bringing the total to $9 billion over the next two years.
The plan would also provide $2 billion in grants to smaller transit agencies for repairs and upgrades. It is a good idea to help the struggling transit systems. The money will allow agencies to replace older buses with more fuel-efficient models; replace old rail cars with newer, quieter trains, and make key improvements to stations.
We need our transit systems to be updated. They are not getting any better by just sitting stagnant. We need them to improve, heal, and modernize so our country can move forward. If you would like to learn more contact us today!