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To direct the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a feasibility study on the establishment of a rail route linking Alaska to the North American continental rail network, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill directs the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a feasibility study on establishing a rail route, called the Polar Express, to connect Alaska to the North American continental rail network. The Secretary must initiate the study within 180 days and complete it within two years, consulting with relevant federal, state, tribal, local, and foreign governments as appropriate. The Secretary will submit a report to Congress with the study results and any recommendations. The bill does not authorize actual construction of the rail route or commit any federal funds toward building it.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Nicholas J. Begich’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- NULL $310,813
- TEAMHEALTH EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS $44,901
- PETRO 49, INC $18,931
- ODOM CORP $12,500
- CHARLES SCHWAB CORPORATION $9,183
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Nicholas J. Begich → · Outside spending →
Actions (2)
- Jun 2, 2026 Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. · house
- Jun 2, 2026 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 2, 2026
Mr. Begich introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a feasibility study on the establishment of a rail route linking Alaska to the North American continental rail network, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Polar Express Act of 2026”.
SEC. 2. POLAR EXPRESS FEASIBILITY STUDY.
(a) In General.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall initiate a feasibility study on the establishment of a rail route linking the State of Alaska to the North American rail network in the continental United States, to be known as the “Polar Express”.
(b) Scope.—The Secretary shall determine the scope, contents, and methodology of the feasibility study conducted under this section, and may consult with such Federal agencies, State, Tribal, and local governments, foreign governments, and other stakeholders as the Secretary determines appropriate.
(c) Report.—Not later than 2 years after the date on which the feasibility study is initiated under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report containing the results of the feasibility study and any recommendations of the Secretary.
(d) Rule of Construction.—Nothing in this Act shall be construed—
(1) to authorize the construction of the rail route described in subsection (a); or
(2) to commit Federal funds for the construction of such rail route. <all>
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