FAQ: What a Gov't Shutdown Means for Passengers

Over the past decade, government shutdowns have become an increasingly common fact of life for people living in the U.S.

Many of our members have been asking Rail Passengers staff what it would mean for trains and transit.

We’ve collected answers to the most frequently asked questions we receive about how a government shutdown will affect America’s passengers.

What it Means for Amtrak and Intercity Rail

The simple answer: your Amtrak trip won’t be affected by the government shutdown. As we’ve seen during previous government shutdowns, Amtrak has enough cash on hand to keep the trains running and workers paid in the near term.

The full answer: it depends on how long the government shutdown goes on. Amtrak can’t operate indefinitely without receiving payments to its operations account for the Northeast Corridor and National Network. Based on prior experience, it is very unlikely that the shutdown will last long enough to affect Amtrak’s day-to-day operations.

However, based on previous shutdowns, we know that grantmaking and rulemaking work will halt at the USDOT, which could delay the delivery of infrastructure funds to projects currently under construction across the country.

What it Means for Transit

Like Amtrak, transit systems will have enough cash on hand to keep trains and busses moving. However, given the financial cliff faced by many transit agencies across the U.S., the financial cushion may well be slimmer, depending on where you live.

As with intercity rail, the more likely cost of a shutdown would come in delaying important work to advance projects to enhance and expand transit service.

What it Means for U.S. Transportation, Generally

The biggest near-term impact of a shutdown will be felt in the aviation industry, which depends heavily on the government to coordinate flight operations and oversee airport security. The effects of the shutdown will be compounded by the simultaneous expiration of the law that authorizes the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate and collect ticket taxes.

In the near term, the people who will bear the brunt of this will be aviation and airport workers — 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA baggage screeners would be forced to work without pay. An extended shutdown would undoubtedly lead to staffing shortages, cancelled flights, and longer airport security lines.

Takeaways

Based on prior government shutdowns, it is unlikely that this shutdown will last long enough to negatively impact rail passengers.

However, until Congress confronts this annual dysfunction and returns to normal order, the nation’s infrastructure programs will be forced to limp along. That means longer project delivery times and higher costs.