Are Amtrak Services Safe Now?

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caravanman

caravanman

Engineer
Joined
Mar 22, 2004
Messages
4,816
Location
Nottingham, England.
Hi Folks, I see a topic at the head of the page about what seems to be good news on Amtrak funding. Can anyone spell it out for me whether the long distance services should now continue as before, for the next year, or is there still a question mark over possible cuts to routes?

Ed. B)
 
The funding you see only passed in the House. The next step is to go through the Senate, and it could change at any time. When it goes through the Senate, the president will sign the bill into law. Only then will Amtrak be pretty much garanteed funding for the next fiscal year.
 
caravanman said:
OK, I understand that. Do you know when it will go to the Senate, is there a fixed date? Is the outcome still totaly unknown till then?Ed.   B)
Click to expand...
I believe this week, the Senate Subcommitee on transportation will be marking up the Amtrak issue. I'm confident, because there are numerous Amtrak supporters on this commitee, including a few Republicans, such as Hutchison, Burns, and Lott. I know Kerry, Dorgan, and I think Edwards are also supporting Amtrak. Below is a list of of the subcommitee. If yours is on here, give them a call this week, and next!

Democrats

John Breaux, Louisiana, Chairman

Daniel K. Inouye, Hawaii

John D. Rockefeller IV, West Virginia

John F. Kerry, Massachusetts

Byron L. Dorgan, North Dakota

Ron Wyden, Oregon

Max Cleland, Georgia

Barbara Boxer, California

Jean Carnahan, Missouri

John Edwards, North Carolina

Republicans

Gordon Smith, Oregon, Ranking Republican

Ted Stevens, Alaska

Conrad Burns, Montana

Trent Lott, Mississippi

Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas

Olympia J. Snowe, Maine

Sam Brownback, Kansas

Peter G. Fitzgerald, Illinois

John Ensign, Nevada
 
This committee has a very powerful group of pro-Amtrak Republicans as mentioned previously, including Senator Snowe from Maine. I am confident that this group will give Amtrak some very friendly consideration, but we still need to lobby all other senators across the country on both sides of the aisle. At the end of the day, I am confident that Amtrak will have a better outlook for the next fiscal year.
 
saxman66 said:
caravanman said:
OK, I understand that. Do you know when it will go to the Senate, is there a fixed date? Is the outcome still totaly unknown till then?Ed.   B)
Click to expand...
I believe this week, the Senate Subcommitee on transportation will be marking up the Amtrak issue. I'm confident, because there are numerous Amtrak supporters on this commitee, including a few Republicans, such as Hutchison, Burns, and Lott. I know Kerry, Dorgan, and I think Edwards are also supporting Amtrak. Below is a list of of the subcommitee. If yours is on here, give them a call this week, and next!

Democrats

John Breaux, Louisiana, Chairman

Daniel K. Inouye, Hawaii

John D. Rockefeller IV, West Virginia

John F. Kerry, Massachusetts

Byron L. Dorgan, North Dakota

Ron Wyden, Oregon

Max Cleland, Georgia

Barbara Boxer, California

Jean Carnahan, Missouri

John Edwards, North Carolina

Republicans

Gordon Smith, Oregon, Ranking Republican

Ted Stevens, Alaska

Conrad Burns, Montana

Trent Lott, Mississippi

Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas

Olympia J. Snowe, Maine

Sam Brownback, Kansas

Peter G. Fitzgerald, Illinois

John Ensign, Nevada
Click to expand...
Sorry,

But unfortunately John Edwards is no longer a senator.... :(
 
The bill will be taken up by the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine of the Senate Commerce Committee. The present membership is:

Republican members (10)

Senator Trent Lott (R-MS), Chair

Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK)

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)

Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT)

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)

Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME)

Senator Gordon H. Smith (R-OR)

Senator George Allen (R-VA)

Senator John E. Sununu (R-NH)

Senator David Vitter (R-LA)

Democratic members (8)

Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI), Ranking Member

Senator John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV)

Senator Byron L. Dorgan (D-ND)

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA)

Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA)

Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ)

Senator E. Benjamin Nelson (D-NE)

Senator Mark L. Pryor (D-AR)
 
Hmm, that website I got that first list from must be out of date. I didn't think Edwards was a Senator anymore. I now see McCain on the list. He hasn't been very friendly toward Amtrak.

Chris
 
And while we're making corrections, let me make one. I listed the wrong committee and subcommittee.

Senate bills for appropriation of funds all come from the Appropriations Committee. The mark-up of the appropriation for the DOT will be considered next week by the Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies. That subcommittee's members will consider Amtrak funding. Here is the membership list:

Republican members (10)

Senator Christopher Bond (Chairman) (MO)

Senator Richard Shelby (AL)

Senator Arlen Specter (PA)

Senator Robert Bennett (UT)

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX)

Senator Mike DeWine (OH)

Senator Sam Brownback (KS)

Senator Ted Stevens (AK)

Senator Pete Domenici (NM)

Senator Conrad Burns (MT)

Democratic members (9)

Senator Patty Murray (Ranking Member) (WA)

Senator Robert C. Byrd (WV)

Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD)

Senator Harry Reid (NV)

Senator Herb Kohl (WI)

Senator Richard Durbin (IL)

Senator Byron Dorgan (ND)

Senator Patrick Leahy (VT)

Senator Tom Harkin (IA)

Now, I hope that is right!
 
Err...so its all looking better now, then. (can I say now then?..is now now and then sometime different?) I plan to leave the UK mid August for a quick Amtrak fix on the Empire builder.

Ed. B)
 
Are Amtrak Services Safe Now?

Hmmmm lets see........ yeah for the short term I say yes! For the long term, well, I'll just give it to ya as it appears to most of us out here on board! "We shall see!" OBS...

On a side note, I think it is rather interesting that one of my fellow employee friends in another crewbase recieves their check for reinbursement for moving expenses, and it "bounced" when they went to deposit it in the bank! Go figure! :blink:
 

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