[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 10, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S123]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THE IMPORTANCE OF AMTRAK

  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I also want to make a couple of other 
comments which I am sure my senior colleague will agree with. One which 
proved to me the importance of Amtrak was how I got back here on Sunday 
night. I came all the way down from basically Vermont on through 
Massachusetts. The efforts which those crews put on, and how packed 
that train was when it finally got to New York City, and then on to 
Washington, emphasized how important that means of travel is in times 
of crisis like this. Without Amtrak passenger service we would be in 
trouble.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, if the Senator from Vermont will yield, I 
might comment on that.
  The Senator from Vermont and I have joined together in an awful lot 
of fights for our State and for our area during the past 21 years. And 
I think it is the one that I am most proud of and join with him in. He 
and I throughout those years, with our former colleague, Senator 
Stafford, joined to keep Amtrak going up in our area. He is absolutely 
right to praise them. I know he uses the train. It is not just a case 
of saying, ``I want it for others.'' He uses it as I do on occasion. 
This is something for which Amtrak deserves that credit.

                          ____________________