American Rail Industry Competitiveness Act of 1992

American Rail Industry Competitiveness Act of 1992 - Sets forth congressional findings and purposes with respect to revitalization of the American rail car industry.

Directs the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to establish, through the making of grants and loans, a program of financial assistance to private and public entities to promote research and development (R and D) in the domestic rail car industry, to facilitate growth in the engineering and design capabilities of domestic rail car companies, and in general to promote the competitiveness of the American rail car industry. Sets forth specified requirements with respect to such grants and loans. Authorizes appropriations.

Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to require the Secretary, through the establishment of a new Cooperative Research Center or utilization of an existing Center, to promote the development of U.S. rail car technology.

Amends the Federal Transit Act to require the Secretary to designate one university transportation center with responsibility for R and D relating to rail car technology. Requires the Secretary to provide additional grants to such center to conduct R and D, training, and technology transfers with respect to such technology in order to promote the growth and development of the American rail car industry.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the corporate capital gains tax for rail industry stock held for more than three years by a domestic rail car company. Establishes alternative rates for capital gains on rail industry stock held by noncorporate taxpayers.

Allows, until January 1, 1998, domestic rail car companies a special tax credit for R and D activities.

Allows a rail industry start-up credit of ten percent of qualified rail start-up expenditures incurred until December 31, 1998.

Provides for the treatment of the rail tax incentives in computing the alternative minimum tax.

Classifies rail car property as five-year property for purposes of determining depreciation under the accelerated cost recovery system.

Amends the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act to require the Secretary, with respect to the award of grants to States for business-labor-education partnership training programs, to give priority to projects that are specifically targeted to the training of skilled workers and technicians in high technology aspects of the domestic rail car industry. Requires the Secretary to select one State for the establishment of a pilot vocational educational program designed to promote high technology training (including the retraining of individuals employed or previously employed in industries with declining labor demand) in the rail car supply industry. Directs the Secretary of Education to report to the Congress on progress made to promote vocational education and training in the American rail car industry.

Amends the Federal Transit Act to direct the Secretary to require each mass transportation assistance grantee that operates a rail transit system to submit, by October 1 of each year, a ten-year and 20-year schedule setting forth anticipated rail car acquisitions (by timing and volume) during the upcoming ten- and 20- year periods. Requires the Secretary to develop, and annually update, ten- and 20-year projections of such acquisitions.

Requires the Secretary to submit to the Congress a plan under which the Federal Transit Administration will: (1) develop more precise rail car procurement forecasting; and (2) manage the timing of the award of Federal grants to assure a stable national rail car replacement plan and provide regular and reliable cycles of rail car procurement.

Requires the Secretary to establish a Federal Clearinghouse to serve as a source of the data on the domestic rail car industry.