WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced legislation that would provide the first-ever dedicated stream of resiliency funding for our nation’s public transportation systems.

The Resilient Transit Act of 2022 would authorize $300 million for each fiscal year from 2023 through 2026 for resilience improvement grants to mitigate the impact of severe weather events on public transportation systems. The apportionment of funds would be in accordance with the existing State of Good Repair formula and recipients would be able to utilize these critical resources to finance both stand-alone resilience projects and resilience components of larger system improvement projects as needed.

“As we see extreme weather events and climate change heavily impact the lifecycle of public transportation, we must act to ensure the integrity of these systems, the protection of vulnerable communities, and the investments of taxpayer dollars,” said Rep. Espaillat. “Many Americans rely on public transit as their primary means of transportation, and when these systems are disrupted by extreme weather events, their ability to commute is hampered or even removed. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy flooded much of New York City, including the subway system, rendering tracks unusable. Whereas, measures have been taken to reduce this risk, more can still be done. Our legislation aims to bolster federal funding to increase resiliency of transit systems so communities will be ready when these unforeseen disasters occur.”

"Ten years ago, Superstorm Sandy crippled the New York City subway, leaving millions without a reliable way to get around,” said Senator Gillibrand. “We’ve all seen videos of water cascading down subway stairs and commuters wading through stations with water up to their waist; we can't wait until the next devastating storm to fix the weaknesses in our transit system that these storms have exposed. The Resilient Transit Act will help the MTA and transit agencies across the country make proactive upgrades to subways, trains, buses, and ferries so that they can prepare for future severe weather events and natural disasters and continue to provide the services millions rely on each day. Americans deserve transit systems that can weather any storm, and this bill will take us one step closer to making that a reality.”

The Resilient Transit Act of 2022 would provide direct resiliency funding for public transportation systems to help reduce the vulnerability of transit systems before emergencies, natural disasters, and climate-related events occur.