FRA: $1.7B ARP Funds for Amtrak FRA: $1.7B ARP Funds for Amtrak Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor Beginning May 23, Amtrak and its partner state transportation departments will restore all Hiawatha Service round-trips between Milwaukee, Wis., and Chicago, Ill. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will make available to Amtrak more than $1.69 billion in COVID-19 relief funding, provided under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021. The funds from the ARP Act, signed into law March 11, “will be used primarily to offset the loss of ticket revenue that Amtrak uses to operate its trains and maintain its infrastructure,” FRA reported April 27.