Greenwich commuters who already absorbed a 5% Metro-North fare hike on July 1 now face uncertainty over whether 26 unfinished rail projects along the Northeast Corridor will keep their federal funding.

Rep. Jim Himes and Connecticut's entire congressional delegation sent a letter Wednesday, July 15, urging House and Senate leaders to restore advance appropriations for passenger rail in the BUILD America 250 Act, the five-year surface transportation bill now moving through Congress. The letter, signed by 33 lawmakers total, was addressed to Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer.

The stakes are concrete: 26 Connecticut projects on the Northeast Corridor remain unfinished or in development, according to the Federal Railroad Administration's 2026 project inventory. Those include the WALK Bridge, Devon Bridge, and Connecticut River Bridge replacements. Without guaranteed multi-year funding, the delegation argues, those projects face delays and cost overruns.

The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided $66 billion in advance appropriations for rail nationwide, giving states predictable funding over multiple years. Connecticut pulled in roughly $2 billion in federal rail grants under that law. But the BUILD America 250 Act, which the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed 62-2 in late May, does not include the same advance-appropriation structure. Instead, roughly $106 billion of the bill's $580 billion total would depend on annual appropriations votes.

The lawmakers wrote in their letter that reverting to year-by-year funding "would dismantle a growing and vibrant industry that is employing thousands of new people throughout the supply chain and delivering improved passenger rail service for the country."

The New Haven line is the only Metro-North route serving Connecticut, and Greenwich Station is the first stop across the state line. The Northeast Corridor carries more than 694,000 passengers on weekdays, according to the Northeast Corridor Commission, including riders on the New Haven line. The lawmakers cited Amtrak's record of 34.5 million customer trips in fiscal year 2025 as evidence of growing demand.

Greenwich riders are already paying more. The Connecticut Department of Transportation imposed a 5% fare increase on July 1, the second hike in less than a year, citing an $11 million funding gap for rail operations.

The delegation's letter argues that long-term capital projects need funding certainty. One example: the Connecticut River Bridge rehabilitation, which Greenwich Time reported carries an estimated $87 million price tag, with construction expected to begin in fall 2028 pending funding and permits.

The current surface transportation law expires Wednesday, September 30. The Senate has not agreed on a top-line funding figure for the new bill, and no floor vote date has been set in either chamber. Logistics Management reported in June that a short-term extension at current funding levels is increasingly likely.

Himes, who represents Greenwich in Connecticut's 4th Congressional District, was joined by Reps. John Larson, Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro, and Jahana Hayes, along with Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy.