Moving Transit Forward Act would boost transit agency funding

As reported by Trains.com, Moving Transit Forward Act legislation, introduced on Dec. 11, would expand federal support as transit agencies look to add routes, increase service frequency, and prevent service cuts.

How the Moving Transit Forward Act would work?

The Senate bill to increase funding for transit is sponsored by Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.), with eight other Democrats listed as co-sponsors.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Under the proposal, Department of Transportation transit grants could be used for two core needs: grants for transit operating costs and funding for transit capital projects.

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Supporters say the grants would help agencies absorb cost increases, pay for additional service, and back projects intended to increase safety. In the bill’s framing, funding could cover higher costs, allow for more service, or support safety-focused improvements.

What the sponsors say about transit operating costs?

In a press release from Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s office, Van Hollen said the measure is meant to ensure transit agencies have the resources to provide “consistently safe and efficient service” for the millions of Americans who rely on public transit every day. Fetterman, meanwhile, pointed to budget strain, noting that Philadelphia’s SEPTA and Pittsburgh Regional Transit are using funds diverted from capital programs to pay for operations. He said agencies need reliable support to deliver for their communities.

Van Hollen introduced legislation under the same name in 2024; hearings were held by the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, but the bill did not advance out of committee, as reflected in the Congress.gov bill record.

Labor groups support the transit funding proposal

The latest bill has labor backing that includes the Transportation Trades Division of the AFL-CIO, the Amalgamated Transit Union, the Transport Workers Union, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers–Transportation Division, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.

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