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Sen. Bob Bennett: Rail System Needs Reform
Aug. 7, 2005
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- In the 1970s, U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, lobbied Congress to create Amtrak, the passenger rail service that crisscrosses the country.
Now Bennett says the system needs a major overhaul and should eliminate some long-distance routes, including the one through Utah.
"We lied to Congress back in 1970 when we said this was going to be freestanding," the Bennett, the former liaison between Congress and the Transportation Department. "You're not going to make money."
Bennett's remarks come after a report from Amtrak's Inspector General, which show federal subsidies for the rail system tops $484 million annually, for a total of $29 billion since 1971.
Utah has four stops on Amtrak's Chicago-Los Angeles route, which according to the report, is one of the least profitable and loses about $175 per passenger.
Bennett thinks the route should be cut to save money.
Story
Aug. 7, 2005
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- In the 1970s, U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, lobbied Congress to create Amtrak, the passenger rail service that crisscrosses the country.
Now Bennett says the system needs a major overhaul and should eliminate some long-distance routes, including the one through Utah.
"We lied to Congress back in 1970 when we said this was going to be freestanding," the Bennett, the former liaison between Congress and the Transportation Department. "You're not going to make money."
Bennett's remarks come after a report from Amtrak's Inspector General, which show federal subsidies for the rail system tops $484 million annually, for a total of $29 billion since 1971.
Utah has four stops on Amtrak's Chicago-Los Angeles route, which according to the report, is one of the least profitable and loses about $175 per passenger.
Bennett thinks the route should be cut to save money.
Story
