[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 60 (Tuesday, May 16, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E844-E845]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CONGRATULATING AMTRAK ON ITS 35TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 16, 2006

  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the National 
Railroad Passenger Corporation, known more commonly as Amtrak, and its 
workers for achieving 35 years of operation as America's passenger rail 
service provider.
  Prior to the creation of Amtrak, passenger rail service had fallen on 
hard times. Freight railroads had a common carrier obligation to 
provide passenger train service, but virtually all of them were losing 
money and wanted to be rid of it. Regrettably, it was the policy of 
many of the freight 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 their passenger train operations. Some of the railroads 
went beyond benign neglect and actively downgraded the service to 
discourage people from riding the trains.
  Indeed, passenger rail service had been in decline since 1920. 
Americans' preferences shifted to air and auto to meet their intercity 
transportation needs. In 1920, passenger rail was the dominant mode of 
intercity transportation; by 1970 passenger rail service had declined 
to relative insignificance. Many thought that the day of the passenger 
train was over, and that, outside of a few densely populated corridors, 
passenger trains were destined to join the stagecoach and the flatboat 
as relics of America's transportation history.
  Fortunately, that was not the case. Congress understood the long-term 
value of and public need for intercity passenger rail service and 
passed the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970 to create Amtrak.
  On May 1, 1971, Amtrak assumed responsibility of the nation's 
passenger trains from the freight railroads and began service when 
Clocker No. 235 departed New York Penn Station at 12:05 a.m. bound for 
Philadelphia. It was clear from the outset that Amtrak would have to 
face a number of challenges. Years of freight railroad neglect of 
passenger operations meant that stations and terminals were

[[Page E845]]

often old and run down, that passenger cars offered dated amenities, 
and the equipment was prone to failure. The nation's railroad 
infrastructure was in a serious state of disrepair. Trains, even some 
passenger trains, crept along at 10-15 miles-per-hour in some places 
and derailments were becoming distressingly commonplace. By the time 
Amtrak commenced operations in 1971, the number of daily intercity 
passenger trains had been reduced from 11,000 in 1964 to fewer than 300 
in 1970.
  Today, despite chronic under-investment, Amtrak has managed to 
replace and upgrade many car and locomotive fleets, rehabilitate once 
dilapidated train stations, and introduce a variety of new services in 
an effort to keep people riding the rails. Ridership has grown from 4.4 
million on 184 trains operated in 1971 to more than 24 million on 
100,000 trains operated in 2005, a record level for Amtrak. And just 
last month, despite increasing freight congestion on the nation's 
railways, Amtrak's on-time performance on the Northeast Corridor 
reached 90 percent.
  In other words, Amtrak survived--survived the inadequate equipment 
and facilities; survived the budget cutters, and survived the 
competition from low-cost airlines. And now, as we see gas prices 
soaring to more than $3 a gallon, we see the wisdom of keeping 
intercity passenger rail service in place in the United States.

  This month, Congress will begin its annual debate on funding for 
Amtrak. The Administration and a minority in Congress will once again 
argue for inadequate or no funding for Amtrak. In the past 35 years 
combined, Amtrak has received less federal funding than we will spend 
on highways in just this fiscal year. The Federal Government has also 
established robust funding mechanisms for aviation and public transit, 
and Congress has always properly supported Federal investment in these 
modes. But not for Amtrak: Amtrak is forced to beg for federal funding 
year after year, and rarely gets what it needs because of false 
expectations that it should be profitable.
  Railroads throughout the world receive some government support to 
supplement the revenues paid by passengers. China invests $16 to $20 
billion annually in passenger rail. Japan and Germany devote 20 percent 
of their total annual transportation budget to passenger rail, totaling 
$3 to $4 billion each. A host of other nations also invest heavily in 
passenger rail--France, for example. When I was a graduate student at 
the College of Europe in Belgium, part of our work was to travel to 
various parts of Europe and see different economic systems. I traveled 
from Paris to Lyon, almost 300 miles. It was a 4\1/2\ hour trip. I went 
back in 1989, as chair of the Aviation Subcommittee. We were following 
the trail of Pam Am 103. I just wanted to experience the TGV (Train a 
Grande Vitesse). The same trip took 2:01 hours. At a certain point, the 
train passed a small airfield where a twin-engine aircraft had taken 
off, and the train passed the plane at 180 mph.
  We can do the same here in the United States. The Federal Government 
just needs to step up and take charge with a strong program to support 
passenger rail.
  Congratulations again to Amtrak and its workers for 35 years of 
public service. Not only are you a vital link to our nation's past, you 
are indispensable to our Nation's transportation future.

                          ____________________