[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 57 (Tuesday, May 1, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E687]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          AMTRAK TURNS THIRTY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 1, 2001

  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, thirty years ago today, the National 
Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) took over from the Nation's 
freight railroads the responsibility for providing intercity passenger 
train services in the United States. Passenger train services had 
fallen on hard times. The railroads had a common carrier obligation to 
provide passenger train service, but virtually all of them were losing 
money and wanted to rid themselves of what they saw as an unnecessary 
burden. Prior to the creation of Amtrak, it was the policy of many of 
the railroads to simply allow the service to deteriorate to the point 
where ridership was so sparse that the Interstate Commerce Commission 
would grant the carriers permission to discontinue the operation. Some 
of the railroads went beyond benign neglect and actively downgraded the 
service to discourage people from riding the trains.
  The railroads were private, for-profit firms that saw passenger 
operations as little more than a drain on their income from carrying 
freight. After 1920, except for the World War II years, intercity rail 
passenger travel declined, as people shifted to air and auto to meet 
their intercity transportation needs. Passenger train travel declined 
not only relative to other modes, but absolutely as well. From being 
the dominant mode of intercity transportation in 1920, rail passenger 
service declined to relative insignificance by 1970. Less than one-half 
of one percent of intercity passenger transportation was made by rail. 
Many thought that the day of the passenger train was over, and that 
outside of a handful of operations in a few densely populated 
corridors, passenger trains were destined to join the stagecoach and 
the flatboat as relics of America's transportation history.
  Fortunately, for America's traveling public, this was not to be the 
case. Congress passed the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970 and 
created the National Railroad Passenger Corporation--popularly known as 
Amtrak. On May 1, 1971, most of the railroads still operating passenger 
trains turned over their equipment to Amtrak and the new company took 
over the responsibility for providing intercity passenger train 
service. From the outset, it was clear that the task of revitalizing 
the service would be daunting. Amtrak had to overcome years of railroad 
neglect and indifference.
  The first thing that Amtrak had to do was to arrest the long-term 
decline in intercity rail passenger ridership. Despite being woefully 
undercapitalized and inheriting a fleet of passenger cars and 
locomotives that averaged more than 20 years old, Amtrak stemmed the 
tide of traffic to the other modes and began the long and arduous task 
of rebuilding passenger train service in America.
  Over the years, Amtrak has managed to replace and upgrade the car and 
locomotive fleets, rehabilitate many once dilapidated train stations, 
and introduce a variety of new services in an effort to keep people 
riding the rails. Congress has continued to provide both operating, and 
capital support for Amtrak, although the level of support has varied. 
Amtrak has never received the kind public investment that the Nation's 
highways and aviation system's have received. In fact, the Corporation 
often has been starved for capital. Almost from the outset, Amtrak's 
opponents have pressured Amtrak to reduce its deficits, while at the 
same time they tried to cut its budget. From Roger Lewis to George 
Warrington, a succession of Amtrak's CEOs have pleaded for adequate 
funding. Rarely have those pleas been answered.
  Nevertheless, many in the Congress have demanded that subsidies to 
Amtrak be eliminated, and the Corporation is now scheduled to achieve 
operating self sufficiency by the end of 2002. Amtrak has made great 
progress toward reaching that goal.
  Back in 1971, many believed that Amtrak would be little more than a 
holding action until passenger trains disappeared forever. Instead, 
despite the obstacles, Amtrak has survived--survived the inadequate 
equipment and facilities with which it started life; survived the 
budget cutters, and survived the competition from low cost airlines. 
And now, in 2001, we see the wisdom of keeping in place intercity rail 
passenger service in the United States.
  Today, our airports and highways are facing gridlock. Delays are 
rampant and there are real limits to simply pouring more concrete and 
asphalt for new highways and runways to solve our Nation's congestion 
problems. Intercity rail passenger service can now be a major part of 
the solution to our transportation congestion problems. Most recently, 
Amtrak has inaugurated its Acela train service in the Northeast 
Corridor, and for the first time Americans can experience high-speed 
rail travel similar to what the French, Germans, and Japanese have 
enjoyed for decades.
  When the Acela trains are fully operational, Amtrak plans to capture 
50 percent of the air-rail travel market in the Northeast Corridor, 
replicating its experience in the southern end of the Corridor between 
New York and Washington D.C. with its Metroliner service. Already, 
Amtrak is carrying a record number of passengers--22.5 million in 
2000--and, as additional Acela trains come on line, Amtrak's ridership 
will increase further. Amtrak should be proud of what it has achieved.
  In the near future, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Houghton) and I 
will be introducing a bill that will help develop high-speed rail 
passenger service throughout the United States. The Secretary of 
Transportation has designated about a dozen high-speed rail corridors 
around the Nation that will be eligble for this funding. Amtrak 
currently serves these corridors, and in most cases its operations will 
provide the basis for building the high-speed operations.
  By preserving our Nation's rail passenger service network through 
difficult times, Amtrak has set the stage for developing a national 
network of high-speed trains that can play a major role in relieving 
air and highway traffic congestion. Not only then is Amtrak a vital 
link to our Nation's transportation history, it is indispensable to our 
transportation future.

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