[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 121 (Tuesday, July 25, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1507-E1508]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  1996

                                 ______


                               speech of

                        HON. WILLIAM O. LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, July 24, 1995
  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Chairman, I rise to express my strong opposition to 
the amendment offered by the gentleman from Michigan.
  The administration's high-speed rail development program is designed 
to reduce the cost and improve the safety and performance of the kinds 
of high-speed rail projects that are most likely to find application in 
the United States.
  The program is practical. It is targeted at safe, economical, 
environmentally friendly all-weather service by the year 2000 in all 
areas of the Nation. Such service alleviates the need for additional 
highway and airport capacity which are increasingly difficult and 
expensive to obtain.
  And we're not talking about building new track here. It will make use 
of existing rail lines and doesn't require the expense of major new 
construction.
  We have seen from the tremendous Amtrak ridership on the Northeast 
corridor that the public wants and will use high-speed rail technology 
throughout the country. This technology could be implemented in city 
pairs such as Detroit-Chicago, Chicago-St. Louis, Portland-Seattle, San 
Diego-Los Angeles, and Miami-Orlando, where trip times can be under 3 
hours.
  The Federal role proposed here is to provide the technology base. The 
States of Michigan, Illinois, Washington, California, Florida, and New 
York want high-speed rail and have already dedicated State funds. It is 
unreasonable and uneconomical to expect 15 or 20 States to each 
undertake technology development programs.
  If this amendment were to pass, the progress that has already been 
made in this area will have been for naught. I understand that the 
gentleman is offering this amendment because he wants to save money. If 
his amendment passes, we will have thrown away the substantial and 
worthwhile investments we've made. Now that's a waste of money.

[[Page E 1508]]

  Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment. High-
speed rail has a legitimate future in this Nation. Let's not throw it 
away.


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