The time is now to Get on Board

Never has there been a better time to begin building Iowa’s passenger rail system. Many factors are rapidly converging to make the vision feasible. If we act quickly, Iowa will be able to take advantage of the funding opportunities and the groundswell of support for passenger rail.

Get on board now to leverage federal funding. Iowa can apply to the federal government as early as 2009 to fund 80 percent of the capital investments for intercity rail projects. In 2009, $100 million will be available nationally for grants, increasing over the next fi ve years to $600 million. Iowa must have a 20 percent match on hand to apply for a grant.

Most states, like Iowa, plan an incremental approach to building their passenger rail systems. Those routes that receive initial federal funding are more likely to receive continued future funding to complete the planned route or routes.

Acting now rather than later may mean the difference between seeing passenger rail as early as 2010 or 2011 or a decade later.

Get on board now with an investment to make this vision a reality. Iowa needs to invest $3 million annually. This would allow Iowa to compete at the federal level for intercity passenger rail funding for infrastructure improvements. Once service is operational, the annual appropriation would provide the operating subsidy to bridge the gap between actual expenses and ticket revenues.