American High-Speed Rail Act

This bill changes federal high-speed rail programs. It would let the federal government pay up to 100 percent of the cost of high-speed rail corridor planning and construction projects, while giving priority to projects where at least 20 percent comes from state, local, private, or certain loan sources. It would raise the speed that counts as high-speed rail to 186 miles per hour or more, create a category for 'higher-speed rail' between 110 and 186 miles per hour, and limit that category to no more than 20 percent of grants. It authorizes $35 billion per year for corridor development and $3 billion per year each for planning and technology from 2027 through 2031. It also allows grant recipients to buy land before environmental reviews are finished, exempts freight railroads' gains from selling or leasing land for these projects from federal income tax, and applies railroad labor and retirement laws to certain operators on grant-funded rail lines.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Seth Moulton Democrat sponsor
• 56 cosponsors