UPDATE: As many of you may already know, the Senate transportation appropriations bill was marked up in Subcommittee yesterday.  Unfortunately, the bill eliminated funding for High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail.  In response, Senators Durbin, Lautenberg, Feinstein & Landrieu offered an amendment in full committee to provide $100 million for HSIPR. The amendment was approved by a voice vote. 

 

The Committee then voted 28 to 2 to report the amended bill favorably to the Senate floor.

Assuming the amended bill remains intact and passes the Senate, it sets up a showdown with the House, whose bill zeroes out the HSIPR program, in the conference committee that will iron out the differences between the two chambers’ versions (Thanks to NARP for late update).{jcomments on}