LANGHORNE, PA –Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1) announced that the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) received a CRISI Grant from the Federal Railroad Administration for their Engineering Track Foremen Workforce Development Apprenticeship Training Program for their Morrisville operation.
Amtrak received a total of $8,800,000 that will be used for their proposed project which involves workforce development activities to implement a pilot engineering Track Foremen/Inspectors workforce development apprenticeship training program to further develop the existing program and increase the overall knowledge base required to safely supervise field operations. The proposed project also involves other activities for an additional program that will help employees obtain full Track Foremen/Inspectors certification. Recognizing there may not be an adequate number of seasoned, highly-skilled employees providing knowledge transfer and mentorship, the project will support the development of a comprehensive training requirement for new employees and help provide upward mobility for current employees.
“The services provided by Amtrak are so critical in our region and their operation has a direct impact on transportation, our economy, and beyond,” said Congressman Fitzpatrick. “As the Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Building Trades Caucus and as a leading champion of the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA), I am thrilled to see robust technical career training opportunities like this coming to Bucks County. These federal dollars will help Amtrak better serve the people across Bucks and Montgomery counties and provide good paying jobs focused on maintaining and strengthening the Northeast Corridor’s rail infrastructure. I look forward to continuing to see IIJA projects and programs roll out and provide new opportunities for our community.”
The purpose of the CRISI Program is to invest in a wide range of projects within the United States to improve railroad safety, efficiency, and reliability; mitigate congestion at both intercity passenger and freight rail chokepoints to support the more efficient movement of both people and goods; enhance multi-modal connections; and lead to new or substantially improved Intercity Passenger Rail Transportation corridors. The CRISI Program is authorized by 49 U.S.C. § 22907, and funds were made available by Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, Div. L Tit. I, Pub. L. 117-03 (March 15, 2022) (2022 Appropriation), and Division J of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Pub. L. 117-58 (November 15, 2021).
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