The Davy Crockett
Engineer
Here we go again...
...but it will get kicked past the elections in November and into 2015, or 2016, or...
From the article linked below in The Hill...
House bill cuts Amtrak funding 40 percent
From the article:
...but it will get kicked past the elections in November and into 2015, or 2016, or...
From the article linked below in The Hill...
House bill cuts Amtrak funding 40 percent
From the article:
The House is proposing a 40 percent funding cut for Amtrak in a new passenger rail bill that was unveiled on Thursday by the chamber’s Transportation Committee.
Amtrak has received about $1 billion per year from the federal government since its inception in 1971. But Republican leaders on the panel said the long-overdue rail funding measure would force the company to streamline its operations and survive mostly on the money that is generated by ticket sales.
The bill is unlikely to be approved by lawmakers before this year’s elections
“The reality is intercity passenger rail plays an important role in our national transportation network,” House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) said.
“Congress can either sit back while Amtrak and our passenger rail system continue to muddle along without reforms and without improvements, or we can take significant steps forward in improving Amtrak’s transparency and cost-effectiveness, and compelling it to operate like a true business should,” Shuster continued.
Amtrak’s subsidies have been a source of contention for years in Congress. Republicans have pushed in the past to privatize service on its heavily traveled Northeastern U.S. routes, which are the most profitable in the company’s network.
Amtrak has countered criticism about its subsidies by pointing out that most of the money is used to maintain money-losing long-distance routes in parts of the country that have little air service.
The company has touted record ridership in recent years as an argument in favor of increasing its federal appropriations to pay for needed improvements along the Northeast Corridor, the only tracks in the country that are owned and operated directly by Amtrak.
The company shares tracks with freight rail companies for most of its routes outside of the Northeast U.S.
Amtrak has said that it uses profits from its popular Northeast routes to help pay for trains in less-congested parts of the country, but Republicans on the House Transportation Committee said the new funding measure would require the company to reinvest money that is generated by its Northeast service in the heavily traveled corridor.
The GOP said its rail bill would also eliminate losses Amtrak suffered on concession sales. The rail service has come under fire in recent years“The reality is intercity passenger rail plays an important role in our national transportation network,” House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) said.
“Congress can either sit back while Amtrak and our passenger rail system continue to muddle along without reforms and without improvements, or we can take significant steps forward in improving Amtrak’s transparency and cost-effectiveness, and compelling it to operate like a true business should,” Shuster continued.
Amtrak’s subsidies have been a source of contention for years in Congress. Republicans have pushed in the past to privatize service on its heavily traveled Northeastern U.S. routes, which are the most profitable in the company’s network.
Amtrak has countered criticism about its subsidies by pointing out that most of the money is used to maintain money-losing long-distance routes in parts of the country that have little air service.
The company has touted record ridership in recent years as an argument in favor of increasing its federal appropriations to pay for needed improvements along the Northeast Corridor, the only tracks in the country that are owned and operated directly by Amtrak.
The company shares tracks with freight rail companies for most of its routes outside of the Northeast U.S.
Amtrak has said that it uses profits from its popular Northeast routes to help pay for trains in less-congested parts of the country, but Republicans on the House Transportation Committee said the new funding measure would require the company to reinvest money that is generated by its Northeast service in the heavily traveled corridor.
The GOP said its rail bill would also eliminate losses Amtrak suffered on concession sales. The rail service has come under fire in recent years for allegedly losing millions of dollars on selling food and beverage to its passengers.
Democrats on the Transportation Committee said they could support the House’s proposed rail bill because it would not completely eliminate funding for Amtrak like prior GOP’s attempts to gut the company’s federal appropriations.
“This bill provides much-needed investments in the long-distance network and ensures continuation of all long-distance trains, including the Cardinal Route that runs through southern West Virginia,” the top-ranking Democrat on the panel, Rep. Nick Rahall (W.Va.), said in a statement.
“Reliable passenger rail service helps move our economy forward and is critical to communities across our nation,” Rahall continued.
Amtrak offered a measured response to the proposed legislation, arguing that its record ridership levels in recent years warranted increased federal support instead of a budget cut.
"Passenger rail has experienced impressive growth across the country in recent years and having a federal partner is key to continuing its success in the years ahead," the company said in a statement that was provided to The Hill.
"We are reviewing the proposed legislation and look forward to working with Congress to enact a bill that addresses critical infrastructure investment needs, improves safety and security, enhances customer service and provides for greater financial efficiencies," the Amtrak statement continued. "These improvements are needed to grow and sustain passenger rail and meet the expectations of our passengers and the 46 states and more than 500 communities served by Amtrak.”
The measure is a year-overdue reauthorization of the 2008 Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act.
The last congressional rail funding measure, which was scheduled to expire in 2013, was signed by former President George W. Bush.
