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http://byrd.senate.gov/newsroom/news_march/amtrak.html
March 15, 2006
Byrd Leads Fight for Amtrak Service
Senator Byrd offered a proposal on Tuesday to keep Amtrak’s long-distance routes running, despite efforts to break up the nation’s passenger rail service.
"Amtrak is a critical transportation link for people in all corners of the country. Millions of people ride the rails daily to get to and from work, to visit family and friends many miles away, or to travel on vacation. National passenger rail service should be truly national. It should include big cities and small communities, and serve people living from coast to coast," Byrd said.
The Bush Administration’s budget for the coming year cuts Amtrak funding by almost $400 million -- a cut of more than 30 percent. Financial experts have testified that this dramatic cut would result in Amtrak being thrown into bankruptcy, endangering rail service in every region of the nation.
The massive reduction also comes to the Congress despite the fact that the White House-appointed Amtrak Board of Directors has stated that the railroad needs $1.6 billion to invest adequately in the railroad, guarantee quality service, and restore the increasingly aging infrastructure of the Amtrak system.
The Byrd amendment would invest an additional $550 million in Amtrak, placing the railroad at a total funding level of $1.45 billion. While not as much as the Amtrak board would prefer, that is the precise Amtrak funding level to which 93 Senators agreed last fall when the Senate considered the current year’s transportation funding bill.
"The Administration’s shortsighted budget would cripple rail service in our urban corridors and eliminate this transportation hub for smaller cities and rural communities. It makes no sense," Byrd explained. "With the high prices of gasoline and increasing competition for foreign oil, we must help Amtrak to improve its service and modernize its trains."
Amtrak’s ridership in 2005 reached record levels for the third year in a row, as more than 24.5 million people boarded Amtrak trains. Ridership expansion is occurring in each region of the country.
The West Virginia lawmaker noted that, just as Amtrak has achieved record ridership, it has also reduced its employment levels in each of the last three years. Between 2001 and 2005, Amtrak has reduced its workforce by more than 22 percent.
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March 15, 2006
Byrd Leads Fight for Amtrak Service
Senator Byrd offered a proposal on Tuesday to keep Amtrak’s long-distance routes running, despite efforts to break up the nation’s passenger rail service.
"Amtrak is a critical transportation link for people in all corners of the country. Millions of people ride the rails daily to get to and from work, to visit family and friends many miles away, or to travel on vacation. National passenger rail service should be truly national. It should include big cities and small communities, and serve people living from coast to coast," Byrd said.
The Bush Administration’s budget for the coming year cuts Amtrak funding by almost $400 million -- a cut of more than 30 percent. Financial experts have testified that this dramatic cut would result in Amtrak being thrown into bankruptcy, endangering rail service in every region of the nation.
The massive reduction also comes to the Congress despite the fact that the White House-appointed Amtrak Board of Directors has stated that the railroad needs $1.6 billion to invest adequately in the railroad, guarantee quality service, and restore the increasingly aging infrastructure of the Amtrak system.
The Byrd amendment would invest an additional $550 million in Amtrak, placing the railroad at a total funding level of $1.45 billion. While not as much as the Amtrak board would prefer, that is the precise Amtrak funding level to which 93 Senators agreed last fall when the Senate considered the current year’s transportation funding bill.
"The Administration’s shortsighted budget would cripple rail service in our urban corridors and eliminate this transportation hub for smaller cities and rural communities. It makes no sense," Byrd explained. "With the high prices of gasoline and increasing competition for foreign oil, we must help Amtrak to improve its service and modernize its trains."
Amtrak’s ridership in 2005 reached record levels for the third year in a row, as more than 24.5 million people boarded Amtrak trains. Ridership expansion is occurring in each region of the country.
The West Virginia lawmaker noted that, just as Amtrak has achieved record ridership, it has also reduced its employment levels in each of the last three years. Between 2001 and 2005, Amtrak has reduced its workforce by more than 22 percent.
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