The Republican-led House Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee wants to allocate $875 million to Amtrak next year, a far cry from the more than $2 billion it receives now and the $2.6 billion Amtrak advocates say it needs to meet its basic needs.

“The Northeast Corridor carries 2,200 Amtrak commuter and freight trains every single day," said Jim Matthews of the Rail Passengers Association. "It’s one of the busiest rail corridors anywhere on earth.”

But passengers and rail advocates alike say the services will take a hit with the proposed 64% decrease in funding.

“Right now, there are 11 trains a day here in Hudson; that could go down to five or six trains a day,” said Steve Strauss of the Empire State Passenger Association.

Trains they say are oftentimes full, carrying an economic boost for the local economy.

“The return to the local community served is anywhere from four times to as much as seven times what you spend on that rail-passenger investment,” Matthews said.

In addition to that being on the line, rail workers are concerned their jobs could be lost.

“That would gut not only the service that the commuters in this area rely on, along with the American public, but also the families these men and women support working for Amtrak,” said Dale Bogart Jr. of the Brotherhood of Maintenance Way Employees.

Rep. Marc Molinaro recognizes what’s at stake, but is concerned about Amtrak’s leadership.

“I’m outraged that Amtrak executives consistently undercommit to the needs of Northeast consumers and riders,” the Republican congressman said.

He said there needs to be more accountability.

“We ought to claw back the dollars that went to corporate bonuses," he said. "We ought to ensure that they’re meeting the ADA requirements by upholding, and we ought to use the power of the purse to ensure that the dollars that the federal taxpayers are paying get to minimize impact on riders.”

The fate of the appropriations bill should be known soon, with the House scheduled to vote on it later this month.