Save Our Trains Michigan
Conductor
Dear Friends of Amtrak:
Today the House Appropriations subcommittee voted to provide $550
million for Amtrak in FY 2006. This amounts to a shut down budget.
Please read the NARP statement below for more information.
Following the statement by NARP is a letter from Amtrak CEO David Gunn
to Amtrak employees regarding today's vote.
The process is far from over, although this is certainly not a positive
development. In fact, when you can please pick up the phone and call
your representative in the House. Tell him/her that you disapprove of
the vote of the Appropriations Subcommittee and that you would like to
see full funding for Amtrak.
The Congressional Switchboard number is: 1-202-224-3121. Just ask for
the offices of your House representative. That's all it takes.
Thank you.
Regards,
Craig O'Connell
Friends of Amtrak
http://www.FriendsOfAmtrak.com
National Association of Railroad Passengers
900 -- 2nd St., N.E., Suite 308
202/408-8362, fax 202/408-8287
Washington, DC 20002-3557
[email protected]; www.narprail.org
HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE VOTES TO KILL PASSENGER RAIL
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, June 15, 2005 - #05-18
Contact: Ross Capon, David Johnson 202/408-8362
Washington--Amtrak would get only $550 million, far below the minimum
needed to continue operation, based on the subcommittee's action this
morning. Moreover, most of the information contained in the
subcommittee's is just plain wrong. The subcommittee which marked up
(wrote) its fiscal 2006 funding bill is the Subcommittee on
Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, The
Judiciary, the District of Columbia.
Amtrak is hit with a fatal, 54% cut in funding while aviation and
highway
spending would rise by 6.4% and 5.4%, respectively, because, as the
committee's release notes, these programs get "unique preferential
treatment...not afforded to any other discretionary program including
Veterans Medical Care, Homeland Security funding or National Defense
programs."
The committee's release pretends that $550 million is not a shutdown
budget and would "fully support rail service for 4 out of 5 riders or
80%
of Amtrak's ridership [including]" the Northeast Corridor and most
other
short-distance trains.
In fact, there is no way Amtrak could avoid bankruptcy and a complete
shutdown at this funding level. Amtrak has requested $1.8 billion.
Amtrak
President & CEO David L. Gunn has stated that, even at $1.2 billion,
Amtrak would be unable to install already-purchased, long-lead-time
items
for its capital investment program.
The DOT Inspector General has testified that "intercity passenger rail
needs Federal funding between $1.4 billion and $1.5 billion, plus [a
continuation of] existing state contributions, in order to maintain the
status quo" but even this would not be enough "to move the system to a
state-of-good-repair."
The idea that $550 million could do anything other than send Amtrak
into
bankruptcy is perhaps more easily understood when one considers
that--although Amtrak has incurred no new debt since mid-2002--debt
service payments still are about $275 million a year.
NARP Executive Director Ross Capon said "The subcommittee's action is
particularly unfortunate when Americans are showing increased interest
in
more transportation choices, especially rail. The transparently
misleading
statements in the subcommittee's release can only serve to further
lower
public respect for Congress."
The subcommittee attacks an Orlando-Los Angeles train by citing
Orlando-Los Angeles air fares, completely ignoring the fact most
passengers on this train are riding between intermediate points, many
of
which lack attractive air service and that many people do not want to
fly
or are medically unable to fly. More than 100 Amtrak-served communities
have no commercial air service; many more have no access to the
discount
air services that the committee's release trumpets.
A number of new items based on the committee's misleading release will
be
added to the "fact check" section at www.narprail.org later today.
Suffice
it to say that the 90% discount the subcommittee attacks applies in the
Northeast Corridor to the 3rd through 6th members of a small group
whose
first two members have paid full fare. If Amtrak did not undertake
targeted fare reductions like this, critics would accuse Amtrak of
lacking
entrepreneurial initiative.
# # #
A Message from President Gunn on the FY '06 Budget
Dear Amtrak Co-workers:
Earlier today here in Washington, the House subcommittee responsible
for proposing how much Amtrak receives in federal support voted $550
million for Amtrak for the entire fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.
That's a 55-percent cut from our present funding level.
There's still a long process ahead and this is not a done deal.
Nevertheless, the practical impact of $550 million in federal support
would be the same as zero funding for Amtrak, and they know it. It
can't run a single train from point A to point B - not on the Northeast
Corridor and not anywhere.
Seven weeks ago today, I testified before the House subcommittee,
reporting on all of the progress we've made lately. I reported that
Amtrak had:
· Decreased our deficit per train mile from $22 in FY '00 to
$13 in FY '04
· Increased system-wide ridership to 25 million - an all-time
record
· Lowered headcount by 20 percent since FY '01
· Established a stable, efficient and vertically integrated
management structure
· Completed millions of dollars in work to reduce the
catalogue of deferred maintenance plaguing plant and equipment
· Presented Congress with a package of strategic reform
initiatives that, if adopted, would transform the funding and
development of passenger rail service
In addition to appearing before the subcommittee formally, I have had
numerous private meetings with these same members. They know that this
amount of money will result in the termination of all intercity
passenger rail service. Comments otherwise are just political spin.
In light of all the progress you and I have accomplished, I am sadly
disappointed at the subcommittee's action, and I imagine you are as
well, given how dedicated so many of you are to your responsibilities
and our passengers. Don't waver in your focus on passenger service and
I won't in mine to secure adequate funding to operate our services and
continue to make good on the reforms we've planned. Regardless of the
subcommittee's vote today, I don't believe that rational people -
lawmakers, governors or simply our regular passengers - want to see
passenger rail service shut down, and I continue to hope in the end
that reason prevails.
Sincerely,
----------
David Gunn
President and CEO
Please distribute at all safety meetings and post on all employee
bulletin boards.
Today the House Appropriations subcommittee voted to provide $550
million for Amtrak in FY 2006. This amounts to a shut down budget.
Please read the NARP statement below for more information.
Following the statement by NARP is a letter from Amtrak CEO David Gunn
to Amtrak employees regarding today's vote.
The process is far from over, although this is certainly not a positive
development. In fact, when you can please pick up the phone and call
your representative in the House. Tell him/her that you disapprove of
the vote of the Appropriations Subcommittee and that you would like to
see full funding for Amtrak.
The Congressional Switchboard number is: 1-202-224-3121. Just ask for
the offices of your House representative. That's all it takes.
Thank you.
Regards,
Craig O'Connell
Friends of Amtrak
http://www.FriendsOfAmtrak.com
National Association of Railroad Passengers
900 -- 2nd St., N.E., Suite 308
202/408-8362, fax 202/408-8287
Washington, DC 20002-3557
[email protected]; www.narprail.org
HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE VOTES TO KILL PASSENGER RAIL
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, June 15, 2005 - #05-18
Contact: Ross Capon, David Johnson 202/408-8362
Washington--Amtrak would get only $550 million, far below the minimum
needed to continue operation, based on the subcommittee's action this
morning. Moreover, most of the information contained in the
subcommittee's is just plain wrong. The subcommittee which marked up
(wrote) its fiscal 2006 funding bill is the Subcommittee on
Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, The
Judiciary, the District of Columbia.
Amtrak is hit with a fatal, 54% cut in funding while aviation and
highway
spending would rise by 6.4% and 5.4%, respectively, because, as the
committee's release notes, these programs get "unique preferential
treatment...not afforded to any other discretionary program including
Veterans Medical Care, Homeland Security funding or National Defense
programs."
The committee's release pretends that $550 million is not a shutdown
budget and would "fully support rail service for 4 out of 5 riders or
80%
of Amtrak's ridership [including]" the Northeast Corridor and most
other
short-distance trains.
In fact, there is no way Amtrak could avoid bankruptcy and a complete
shutdown at this funding level. Amtrak has requested $1.8 billion.
Amtrak
President & CEO David L. Gunn has stated that, even at $1.2 billion,
Amtrak would be unable to install already-purchased, long-lead-time
items
for its capital investment program.
The DOT Inspector General has testified that "intercity passenger rail
needs Federal funding between $1.4 billion and $1.5 billion, plus [a
continuation of] existing state contributions, in order to maintain the
status quo" but even this would not be enough "to move the system to a
state-of-good-repair."
The idea that $550 million could do anything other than send Amtrak
into
bankruptcy is perhaps more easily understood when one considers
that--although Amtrak has incurred no new debt since mid-2002--debt
service payments still are about $275 million a year.
NARP Executive Director Ross Capon said "The subcommittee's action is
particularly unfortunate when Americans are showing increased interest
in
more transportation choices, especially rail. The transparently
misleading
statements in the subcommittee's release can only serve to further
lower
public respect for Congress."
The subcommittee attacks an Orlando-Los Angeles train by citing
Orlando-Los Angeles air fares, completely ignoring the fact most
passengers on this train are riding between intermediate points, many
of
which lack attractive air service and that many people do not want to
fly
or are medically unable to fly. More than 100 Amtrak-served communities
have no commercial air service; many more have no access to the
discount
air services that the committee's release trumpets.
A number of new items based on the committee's misleading release will
be
added to the "fact check" section at www.narprail.org later today.
Suffice
it to say that the 90% discount the subcommittee attacks applies in the
Northeast Corridor to the 3rd through 6th members of a small group
whose
first two members have paid full fare. If Amtrak did not undertake
targeted fare reductions like this, critics would accuse Amtrak of
lacking
entrepreneurial initiative.
# # #
A Message from President Gunn on the FY '06 Budget
Dear Amtrak Co-workers:
Earlier today here in Washington, the House subcommittee responsible
for proposing how much Amtrak receives in federal support voted $550
million for Amtrak for the entire fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.
That's a 55-percent cut from our present funding level.
There's still a long process ahead and this is not a done deal.
Nevertheless, the practical impact of $550 million in federal support
would be the same as zero funding for Amtrak, and they know it. It
can't run a single train from point A to point B - not on the Northeast
Corridor and not anywhere.
Seven weeks ago today, I testified before the House subcommittee,
reporting on all of the progress we've made lately. I reported that
Amtrak had:
· Decreased our deficit per train mile from $22 in FY '00 to
$13 in FY '04
· Increased system-wide ridership to 25 million - an all-time
record
· Lowered headcount by 20 percent since FY '01
· Established a stable, efficient and vertically integrated
management structure
· Completed millions of dollars in work to reduce the
catalogue of deferred maintenance plaguing plant and equipment
· Presented Congress with a package of strategic reform
initiatives that, if adopted, would transform the funding and
development of passenger rail service
In addition to appearing before the subcommittee formally, I have had
numerous private meetings with these same members. They know that this
amount of money will result in the termination of all intercity
passenger rail service. Comments otherwise are just political spin.
In light of all the progress you and I have accomplished, I am sadly
disappointed at the subcommittee's action, and I imagine you are as
well, given how dedicated so many of you are to your responsibilities
and our passengers. Don't waver in your focus on passenger service and
I won't in mine to secure adequate funding to operate our services and
continue to make good on the reforms we've planned. Regardless of the
subcommittee's vote today, I don't believe that rational people -
lawmakers, governors or simply our regular passengers - want to see
passenger rail service shut down, and I continue to hope in the end
that reason prevails.
Sincerely,
----------
David Gunn
President and CEO
Please distribute at all safety meetings and post on all employee
bulletin boards.
