All Aboard Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- H.R. 4790
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Transportation and Public Works
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-07-30: Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
- Last Updated
- 2026-07-06T22:26:15Z
AI-Generated Summary
Summary of H.R. 4790: All Aboard Act of 2025
Purpose
The legislation aims to modernize and expand the U.S. rail system by promoting electrification, zero-emission technologies, passenger rail services, and infrastructure improvements. It seeks to reduce air pollution, enhance climate resilience, support workforce development, and address environmental and community concerns, with a focus on achieving sustainability goals like zero-emission locomotives by 2047.
Key Provisions
- State Rail Formula Grant Program (Sec. 3): Establishes formula-based grants to states for developing rail plans, operating services, and maintaining or expanding infrastructure. States must report on strategies for expanding passenger rail (especially high-performance service) and electrifying freight and passenger lines. Funds can support staffing, interstate projects, infrastructure upgrades, new construction, operations, and grant applications. Each state receives at least $5 million annually for five years, with allocations based on rail demand. Technical assistance is provided by federal agencies. Authorizes $3.5 billion over five years starting October 1, 2025.
- Green Railroads Fund (Sec. 4): Creates a competitive grant program for electrified rail operations, administered by the Secretary of Transportation in consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Eligible applicants include states, groups of states, public agencies, Amtrak, railroads (Class I, II, III), tribes, equipment manufacturers, utilities, and labor organizations. Applications require public engagement plans, environmental safeguards, wage/apprenticeship details, and workforce transition strategies to avoid job displacement. Funds can be used for purchasing rights-of-way, upgrading locomotives/trains, installing electrification (e.g., overhead wires or battery tech), building new corridors/yards, acquiring equipment, ensuring climate resilience, and workforce training. Projects must use labor agreements, local hiring, and two-person crews for freight. Priority goes to projects reducing pollution in environmental justice communities (defined as areas with high concentrations of people of color, low-income residents, or Tribal/Indigenous groups) and expanding high-performance rail. Includes a study on co-locating electric transmission lines with rail infrastructure. Authorizes $50 billion over five years.
- Expansion of Passenger Rail Programs (Sec. 5):
- Authorizes $80 billion for the Federal-State Intercity Partnership program, prioritizing high-performance rail infrastructure nationwide and factoring in electrification benefits in cost-benefit analyses.
- Authorizes $30 billion for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement Program, expanding eligibility to Class I railroads for electrification projects (with labor and partnership requirements) and adding activities like zero-emission infrastructure, right-of-way purchases, and community engagement. Applications must include workforce transition and community hiring plans; priority for electrification in environmental justice areas.
- Authorizes $30 billion for Amtrak, including $5 billion for climate resilience projects (e.g., against flooding, storms).
- Authorizes $10 billion for the Railroad Crossing Elimination Program and $1 billion for the Restoration and Enhancement Program.
- Allows federal grants to cover non-federal cost shares for rail investments and mandates half of highway-rail crossing funds for protective devices.
- Rail Air Pollution Grant Program (Sec. 6): Directs the EPA to provide grants under the Clean Air Act to mitigate air pollution from railyards. Authorizes $500 million over five years.
- Labor Protections and Workforce Development (Sec. 7): Applies existing rail grant labor standards (e.g., prevailing wages, project labor agreements) to all funds under this act. Deems certain passenger rail operators and service providers as "rail carriers" for specific laws like retirement, labor relations, and unemployment insurance (with exceptions for construction contractors). Establishes two training centers: the Passenger Rail Workforce Training Center (with Amtrak and labor groups) and the Freight Rail Workforce Training Center (with carriers and labor). Programs focus on skills for zero-emission tech, safety, career pathways, and addressing gaps for underrepresented groups. Authorizes $500 million over five years.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Amends the Federal-State Intercity Partnership program (49 U.S.C. § 24911) to prioritize high-performance and electrified rail projects nationwide, and includes electrification impacts in cost-benefit evaluations.
- Expands the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement Program (49 U.S.C. § 22907) by adding Class I railroads as eligible for electrification (with conditions), new zero-emission activities, workforce transition requirements, community engagement mandates, and grant priorities for environmental justice-focused electrification.
- Modifies Amtrak funding rules (49 U.S.C. § 24305) to allow federal grants to cover non-federal shares in other programs.
- Updates highway-rail crossing funding (23 U.S.C. § 130) to require half for protective devices.
- Applies labor protections from existing rail chapters (e.g., 49 U.S.C. §§ 22905, 22404) to all grants here, and extends certain rail carrier status for labor benefits without broadening other regulatory obligations.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Increases funding and administrative duties for the Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and EPA to manage grants, provide technical assistance, conduct studies, and oversee compliance with labor, environmental, and reporting requirements. Could strain resources but enhance coordination on green infrastructure.
- Citizens: Improves access to faster, more reliable passenger rail, potentially shifting travel from short-haul flights and reducing emissions. Benefits environmental justice communities through pollution reductions and infrastructure that reconnects divided areas (e.g., safer crossings, resilient designs). Rail workers gain training and protections, while communities near railyards see health improvements.
- International Relations: Minimal direct impact, but enhanced freight capacity and electrification could indirectly support U.S. trade efficiency and global climate commitments by reducing rail emissions.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- States and Local Governments: Receive formula grants and competitive funding; must develop plans and engage communities.
- Railroads and Operators: Amtrak, Class I/II/III freight railroads, and manufacturers benefit from infrastructure funds but face electrification mandates, labor requirements, and partnership needs.
- Rail Workers and Unions: Protected by wage standards, two-person crews, anti-displacement plans, and new training centers; labor organizations can apply for grants.
- Environmental Justice and Tribal Communities: Prioritized for pollution reduction, public input, and hiring; tribes are eligible applicants.
- General Public and Commuters: Gain expanded high-performance rail, safer crossings, and climate-resilient transport options.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Reinforces federal labor standards (e.g., Davis-Bacon prevailing wages) and environmental reviews under the Clean Air Act, potentially increasing litigation risks over grant compliance or community impacts. The limited "rail carrier" deeming avoids overreach by exempting construction from full rail regulations.
- Constitutional: Federal funding with conditions (e.g., labor agreements, local hiring) aligns with spending power precedents but could face challenges if seen as coercing states; supports equal protection via environmental justice priorities without mandating race-based actions.
- Political: Advances national goals for decarbonization and infrastructure equity, aligning with broader climate policies, but large authorizations ($175.5 billion total) may spark debates on fiscal priorities and industry transitions. Promotes bipartisanship on transportation but highlights tensions between freight/passenger rail interests and environmental/labor advocates.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17]
Cosponsors (2)
Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10], Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12]
Recent Actions
- 2025-07-30: Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
- 2025-07-29: Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2025-07-29: Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2025-07-29: Introduced in House
- 2025-07-29: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- All Aboard Act of 2025 — issued 2025-07-29 — PDF (30 pages)