In a rare burst of bipartisanship, the House moved this week to boost Amtrak’s popular service between Boston and Washington, while giving states a greater say in the local routes they help subsidize. The bill authorizes $7.2 billion in federal subsidies for passenger rail, including about $1.4 billion a year over four years in subsidies for Amtrak. But in a compromise between Democrats and Republicans, the bill separates Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor service between Boston and Washington from its long-distance routes. That would allow Amtrak to use profits from the money-making corridor for improvements that could speed up trains and enhance service on the route. 101 Republicans voted against the bill despite their leadership’s support for the measure. In favor of the bill were 132 of their GOP colleagues and all 184 Democrats who cast votes. A similar Amtrak bill passed the House with overwhelming GOP support last year, although it died in the Senate.
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