WHAT YOU NEED NOW - CONTENT UPDATED THROUGH THE DAY
July 29, 2005
BYRD'S EYE VIEW: Keeping Amtrak on Track
From the Desk of Robert C. Byrd
U.S. Sen. (D-WV)
Washington, DC (HNN) -- As sure as the train whistle blows when entering the
station, it's also like clockwork that the White House puts Amtrak on the
funding chopping block. Every year the Administration threatens to send the
national passenger rail service into bankruptcy, and every year I fight to
keep it afloat. In President Bush's most recent budget, he proposed the
nearly complete elimination of Amtrak's funding. I joined other Amtrak
advocates in the Senate -- Democrats and Republicans -- to reject the
debilitating cut. We even found a way to boost Amtrak's funding.
Earlier this year, U.S. Department of Transportation officials testified
before Congress that Amtrak needed at least $1.4 billion to maintain current
routes and services. Yet, the President requested that the Amtrak budget be
zeroed out except for a small amount for commuter train service between
Washington, D.C., and New York City.
As the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, I engineered a
bipartisan effort to direct $1.4 billion to Amtrak and reject the White
House's plan to cripple the railroad. The funding not only restores the
proposed cut but also adds $200 million above Amtrak's operating subsidy
last year. The victory will help to ensure that Amtrak has enough funding
to keep on track for the next year.
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, like those along the "Cardinal" and
"Capitol Limited" routes in West Virginia.
The elimination of Amtrak's subsidy is not a recipe for a streamlined
railroad. It is not a recipe for a more efficient railroad. It is a recipe
for a dead railroad. The Administration's shortsighted plan takes the
"national" out of national passenger rail service and turns its back on
rural communities where Amtrak is a primary transportation link to the rest
of the country. With the high prices of gasoline and increasing competition
for foreign oil, we must help Amtrak to improve its service and modernize
its trains.
Studies report that passenger rail systems in the United States carry about
five times as many passengers each day as airlines. Last year, Amtrak
recorded its highest ridership levels in history. The American people
depend on the railroad, and the White House should value it, too.
