Metro brings word that yesterday, the House of Representatives approved an amended version of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 and the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, H.R. 2095. While the bill’s main financial purpose is to allocate $13.06 billion in federal funds over the next five years to Amtrak, it also includes $1.5 billion in appropriations for Metro to make capital improvements in the next ten years – vital funds for WMATA. The bill, mended into one collective document after two attempts at passage in each legislative body stalled during last year’s Congressional session, is expected to pass easily in the Senate after unanimous bipartisan approval in the House.