Amtrak Gets Major Support in the U.S. House
WASHINGTON - A nearly $15 billion Amtrak bill passed the House Wednesday as lawmakers rallied around an alternative for travelers saddled with soaring gas prices.
The bipartisan bill, which passed by a veto-proof margin of 311-104, would authorize funding for the national passenger railroad over the next five years. Some of the money would go to a program of matching grants to help states set up or expand rail service. Needless to say, this is an encouraging element for the Downeaster.
The White House has threatened a veto, saying the bill doesn't hold Amtrak accountable for its spending. But similar legislation has passed the Senate, also with enough support to override a veto. The differences between the two pieces of legislation must now be resolved in a conference committee.
The National Association of Railroad Passengers issued the following press release:
Statement of Ross B. Capon
Executive Director
National Association of Railroad Passengers
Washington D.C., June 11, 2008 --
The House of Representatives is to be commended for its overwhelming approval today of H.R. 6003, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act. The bill, which passed on a veto-proof margin of 311-104, aims in a number of ways to improve and expand U.S. passenger train service. That is exactly what the public has wanted for years. If properly funded through annual appropriations, tax credit bonds, cap and trade revenues, or some combination of these, this bill will allow for significant investment in rolling stock and tracks, including the addition of needed track capacity at key “chokepoints” where Amtrak and freight trains both suffer delays.
With Amtrak and mass transit ridership going off the charts as Americans respond to high prices for gasoline and jet fuel, it is disappointing that over 100 members voted against the bill.
It is equally disappointing that the Bush Administration issued a veto threat because, in the Administration’s words, the bill “provides scant opportunity for competition on existing Amtrak routes and does not include provisions that would condition Amtrak’s funding based on progress on reforms.”
To put those comments into perspective, one must remember that the Amtrak Board of Directors for a long time has been composed exclusively of Bush appointees, that the Secretary of Transportation is a board member, and that existing law gives plenty of opportunity for the Administration to kill individual routes, which would make even less sense now than a year ago, but which is what some Amtrak critics consider a key “reform.” Also, Amtrak largely operates over tracks of private railroads which have made clear their opposition to other carriers performing the same function.
The need for expanded train service is clear. Today’s action shows that Congress wants to make that happen. The crucial test will be its ability to provide the necessary funding.
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