MrEd
Conductor
Amtrak, the U.S. long-distance passenger railroad, may face worse service and mounting mechanical woes unless it begins replacing its aging fleet next year, Chief Executive Officer Joseph Boardman said.
Amtrak, which could compete with private operators under President Barack Obama’s high-speed rail plan, is asking Congress for $2.5 billion for the 2011 fiscal year, including $446 million to buy rail cars and locomotives.
“If we continue to delay, we risk a significant worsening of the mechanical problems and failures that degrade our service quality and increase the already considerable maintenance expenses associated with the maintenance and repair of a fleet far past its prime,” Boardman said today in testimony prepared for a Senate Appropriations Committee panel hearing.
Boardman requested funding two days after Obama’s debt commission held its first meeting on reducing the federal deficit. Moody’s Investors Service has said it will consider cutting the government’s bond rating if the outlook doesn’t improve.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?sid=a5g...mp;pid=20601087
Amtrak, which could compete with private operators under President Barack Obama’s high-speed rail plan, is asking Congress for $2.5 billion for the 2011 fiscal year, including $446 million to buy rail cars and locomotives.
“If we continue to delay, we risk a significant worsening of the mechanical problems and failures that degrade our service quality and increase the already considerable maintenance expenses associated with the maintenance and repair of a fleet far past its prime,” Boardman said today in testimony prepared for a Senate Appropriations Committee panel hearing.
Boardman requested funding two days after Obama’s debt commission held its first meeting on reducing the federal deficit. Moody’s Investors Service has said it will consider cutting the government’s bond rating if the outlook doesn’t improve.
...
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?sid=a5g...mp;pid=20601087