[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 23 (Thursday, March 3, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E368]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             AMTRAK FUNDING

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 3, 2005

  Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my dissatisfaction 
with the President's Fiscal Year 2006 budget that zeroes out funding 
for Amtrak, eliminates funding for high-speed rail, and provides $360 
million to the Surface Transportation Board to maintain existing 
commuter operations should Amtrak shut down.
  The shutdown of Amtrak would cause wide disruption and hardship. 
Millions of passengers--many of whom can't afford a car or a plane 
ticket--would be stranded. Millions of travelers would be added to 
already congested roads and airports.
  Residents of 106 U.S. cities, which have no air service and are well 
over 25 miles away from the nearest airport, would have to find new 
transportation alternatives.
  Amtrak's 20,000 workers would be out on the streets looking for new 
jobs. Local economies and businesses that have benefited from Amtrak's 
service would suffer.
  Amtrak serves my state of Ohio with four long-distance trains: The 
Capital Limited (daily Chicago-Cleveland-Pittsburgh-Washington, DC); 
The Cardinal (tri-weekly Chicago-Cincinnati-Washington, DC-New York); 
The Lake Shore Limited (daily Chicago-Cleveland-Buffalo-Boston-New 
York); and The Three Rivers (daily New York-Philadelphia-Akron-
Chicago).
  During Fiscal Year 2004 Amtrak served the following Ohio locations:
  City and ridership; Akron--7,930; Alliance--2,324; Bryan--6,204; 
Cincinnati--11,632; Cleveland--35,394; Elyria--2,651; Fostoria--1,935; 
Hamilton--1,483; Sandusky--4,098; Toledo--59,661, and Youngstown--
4,417.
  Total Ohio Ridership: 137,729.
  Amtrak expended $9,567,180 for goods and services in Ohio in Fiscal 
Year 2004. Much of this money was spent in the following locations: 
Cleveland, $2,458,778; and Columbus $ 1,540,264.
  During fiscal year 2004, Amtrak employed 88 Ohio residents. Total 
wages of Amtrak employees living in Ohio were $4,609,915 during this 
period.
  The Railroad Retirement and Unemployment programs, which cover 
employees of all railroads, freight and passenger, would be depleted. 
According to the Railroad Retirement Board, without the participation 
of Amtrak, employer and employee payroll taxes would need to be 
increased from the current 16 percent to 27 percent in 2027. Those tax 
increases, however, would ultimately be insufficient and serious cash 
flow problems for Railroad Retirement would begin in 2031.
  Cash reserves for the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Account would 
be exhausted by 2006, and nearly $297 million would have to be borrowed 
from the Railroad Retirement account to make up for losses. Ultimately, 
Amtrak's unemployment benefit costs would be borne by other railroads. 
In Fiscal Year 2004, Ohio had a passenger rail ridership of 137,729.
  While the United States once had a passenger rail system that was the 
envy of the world, a lack of capital investment has stalled the 
advancement of corridor development throughout the country.
  Dependent upon an annual federal appropriation, Amtrak's national 
network is constantly threatened by under-investment, lack of a clearly 
articulated federal rail policy, and an uncertain future.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to reiterate my outrage over a budget that cuts 
out a program that carried 25 million passengers in 2004; operates a 
nationwide rail network, serving over 500 stations in 46 states on 
22,000 miles of track with approximately 20,000 employees; and operates 
300 daily intercity trains, approximately 850,000 commuters each day 
depend on operating agreements with Amtrak, Amtrak-owned 
infrastructure, or shared operations.

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