Three events likely to occur in the first 90 days of the year will have major impacts on U.S. train travel.
According to a piece by Jim Mathews in Streetsblog USA, “decisions being made in the first ninety days of 2026 in three different areas really could change everything we know about passenger rail in America.”
The first of these is a proposed mega-merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, which together host 25 of Amtrak’s 44 state-supported and long-distance routes. “The harsh truth is that if you care about Amtrak trains running on time, going where you want to go, and adding the service that you need, a combined UP-NS will effectively have veto power over all of that.”
A potential government shutdown could delay permitting for rail projects, driving up the cost of building. “Even a couple of weeks’ delay could ripple through and lose passenger-rail another year of important progress.”
“The third area for advocates to watch, of course, is the work to replace the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.” If Congress manages to pass a five-year surface transportation bill, its contents could dramatically shape investment — or lack thereof — in rail and transit.
Read the full story: Passenger Rail Is Headed for a Reckoning — and the First 90 Days of 2026 Will Decide It
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