[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 17 (Wednesday, February 11, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H482]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS FOR AMTRAK

  (Mr. BLUMENAUER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I rise this afternoon with some good 
news and bad news for Amtrak. I congratulate Amtrak for having the 
highest ridership ever experienced in the Nation's intercity passenger 
rail service in its 32-year history. In my region of the Pacific 
Northwest, we have seen ridership increase 520 percent since the 
inception just 10 years ago of service between Eugene and Seattle and 
on to Vancouver, BC. It has had massive improvements in its 
infrastructure; very, very exciting.
  The bad news is that, despite all of this progress with Amtrak, we 
have a proposal from the administration that would break it apart, it 
would privatize it, it would lease out its assets and abandon some of 
its routes, which would jeopardize the very existence of this important 
transportation mode. It would place heavy financial burdens on the 
States to fund what is essentially a national system, the only country 
in the world that has abandoned its commitment to rail passenger 
service.
  I sincerely hope, Mr. Speaker, that this Chamber will once again rise 
to the support of a strong intercity rail passenger system, support 
Amtrak, support the new leadership there under President David Gunn, 
and provide a service that the American public desperately wants.

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