MidHudsonNews [dot] com is reporting Amtrak has submitted a request to Congress for $1.475 billion in supplemental funding for fiscal year 2021. Amtrak officials said the additional funding is necessary to operate minimum service levels across the passenger rail network and to continue capital improvements. The funds would also support Amtrak’s 17 state partners on the National Network and nine commuter and state partners on the Northeast Corridor. “As the severity and duration of this pandemic and its economic fallout become clearer, we are seeking supplemental federal funding for the next fiscal year,” said Amtrak President and CEO Bill Flynn in the letter recently sent to Congress. To help offset the loss of revenue, Amtrak is reducing its operating costs by approximately $500 million, including temporarily reducing train capacity across the system to match demand, restructuring its workforce and controlling discretionary expenses. Amtrak has experienced a dramatic decline in demand for service since the pandemic, and it is expecting ridership to return to approximately 50 percent in 2021. Flynn said without the requested additional support, Amtrak will be unable to minimize the impacts to service and its employees. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.