[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 87 (Wednesday, June 26, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H4033]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          KEEP AMTRAK RUNNING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. TIERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I have the honor of representing the North 
Shore of Massachusetts; and, like many of my colleagues, I am deeply 
concerned about a possible Amtrak shutdown and the effect on my 
constituents. I am doubly troubled by the fact that this situation was 
avoidable and totally unnecessary. Congress is now being asked to step 
in and help after the administration failed to take action.
  Mr. Speaker, 23,000 workers across the country fear job losses. A 
shutdown will mean lost jobs for thousands of employees already 
demoralized by years of wage deferrals and wage freezes that have left 
Amtrak workers among the lowest paid in the industry. A thousand jobs 
have been lost already in the past months, as Amtrak has cut corners in 
the absence of government support. We cannot allow additional jobs and 
benefits to be lost.
  Local commuter rail riders have voiced their fears about being left 
stranded by a possible Amtrak shutdown. Failure to act now will mean 
suspension of Amtrak service in the busy Northeast Corridor, and this 
will jeopardize commuter rail services for Massachusetts' communities 
such as Lynn and Salem in my district, not to mention the likely 
permanent loss of the system's long-distance trains.
  Amtrak's current financial difficulty is a result of unwise and 
unattainable congressional goals established in 1997 that forced 
unfortunate managerial choices and undermined Amtrak's financial 
viability and access to capital. Congress realized it made a mistake 
and has since repealed the 1997 requirement that Amtrak file a plan for 
its own liquidation if it not achieve operating self-sufficiency by the 
end of 2002.
  Unfortunately, the damage has been done, and it is imperative that 
Congress correct its public policy misadventure. We are at the point 
where Congress has to step in and offer some assistance.
  As today's Boston Globe reports, ``Rail shutdown would be a slap to 
the region. Amtrak ridership is on the increase.'' The article notes 
that ridership in the Northeast Corridor was up 23 percent in May, with 
a 44 percent growth in revenue over the last year. Over the years, and 
particularly since the terrorist attacks of September 11, Amtrak 
ridership in the Northeast Corridor has decreased traffic at the 
airports, providing another option for people to travel for business 
and pleasure.
  We should reward, not punish, this good service with increased Amtrak 
investment. Indeed, every G-8 country knows the value of investing in 
mass ground transportation. All of them support their national 
passenger rail system. Amtrak is held to a double standard as no other 
segment of America's transportation system is forced to meet the 
capital and operating needs without substantial government financial 
assistance. Amtrak has responded to the growing expectations placed on 
the passenger rail carrier since September 11; and Congress should, 
too.
  America needs better energy and environmental policies. Rail service 
conserves energy as compared to other forms of intercity 
transportation. A 1999 Congressional Research Service report determined 
that general aviation uses more than three times the energy used by 
Amtrak. Passenger rail service generates less air pollution and less 
energy than the airplane and the automobile. This is even more 
significant in high-density areas.
  Mr. Speaker, let us compare Amtrak with investments in airports and 
highways. Overall, our highways, aviation and mass transit programs 
receive almost $57 billion in annual government investments, but Amtrak 
only receives 1 percent of that. $571 million is slated for fiscal year 
2003.

                              {time}  1845

  Amtrak has only received $25 billion in Federal funding over the past 
30 years in comparison with $750 billion spent on highways and aviation 
during that same period. We can and we should do better.
  While administration critics propose to shut down Amtrak because not 
every route is self-sufficient, we should note that the airlines 
received $150 million this year alone in Federal funding to provide air 
service to 80 cities where passenger revenues were insufficient to 
support the provision of service. Amtrak is a bargain by comparison to 
that.
  That is why I join my colleagues and asked appropriators to provide 
sufficient supplemental funding to keep the trains running. The 
administration seeks to privatize, their solution for government 
programs they just do not like, from Social Security to prescription 
drugs, all the way to mass transportation. The fact is, privatization 
is not the answer. We only have to look at the tragic accidents, delays 
and system failures in Great Britain to know that privatization does 
not work. For the security of our commuters, our workers, our 
environment and our economy, we must keep the trains running. Shutting 
down Amtrak is clearly not in the public interest. I urge the 
administration to listen to the American people and respond with a 
thoughtful, sensible plan to keep Amtrak going.

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