PROVIDENCE, RI — Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo announced that Rhode Island has been allocated $60,105,548 in federal transit funding to enhance public transportation across the Ocean State in 2024.
The $60.1 million in federal transit funding for Fiscal Year 2024 has been released by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and includes funding from the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58), the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 (P.L. 118-47), and the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund. It marks a $4.2 million boost for the Rhode Island Public Transit Agency (RIPTA) network of bus service, as well as the state’s trains and ferry service.
The $4.2 million boost for RIPTA was possible by including a total of $16.6 billion for the FTA in the 2024 Appropriations law, an increase of $1.9 billion from the House of Representatives original appropriations bill.
The federal funding will be available to help the state and communities modernize, maintain, and operate public transportation systems, upgrade stations, tracks and maintenance facilities, plan and design new transit corridors, and provide access for seniors and riders with disabilities.
“Rhode Island’s public transit system helps drive economic growth, connects communities, and gets people where they need to go. This latest round of federal funding will help RIPTA improve service and invest in new vehicles, technologies, infrastructure, and capital purchases. I will continue partnering with state and local leaders to modernize our infrastructure and deliver federal funds to ensure RIPTA offers safe, convenient, reliable and accessible public transportation for everyone,” said Senator Reed, a senior member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD).
“Public transportation has the power to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life for people across the state. Our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to deliver much-needed investments in making public transportation more accessible and reliable for Rhode Islanders,” said Senator Whitehouse, a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
“A safe and efficient public transportation system is vital to getting Rhode Islanders to work, school, and back home to spend valuable time with their families,” said Congressman Seth Magaziner. “I’m pleased that RIPTA is receiving this federal funding, and I will continue to work to deliver the necessary resources so that every Rhode Islander has access to effective and reliable transportation.”
“As an advocate for public transit in Congress, I’m proud to work alongside my Rhode Island delegation colleagues to steer federal dollars to our state’s transit agency,” said Congressman Gabe Amo. “Today’s funding announcement, made possible by the landmark Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed under President Biden, will help maintain and expand Rhode Island’s public transportation — a key way to connect communities and improve the lives of hardworking Rhode Islanders all across our state.”
Rhode Island’s allocation is part of a $20.5 billion tranche from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support critical public transit infrastructure in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Under the law, each state has flexibility to determine how these funds can best address longstanding needs.
While Rhode Island is slated to receive a total of $60.1 million in fiscal year 2024, the delegation noted that the state had already received federal funding to cover the first five months of the fiscal year (October to March) while Congress was operating under a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR).
