[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 70 (Thursday, May 7, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S5270]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           NATIONAL TRAIN DAY

  Mr. BURRIS. Mr. President, many of my colleagues and citizens across 
the country recognize this Saturday as National Train Day, a 
celebration of 140 years of coast-to-coast rail travel in the Unite 
States.
  I rise to commemorate the proud history of America's railways, but 
also to mark this as a time for more than celebration.
  We must see this occasion as an opportunity to look ahead, to 
reinvest in our nation's infrastructure and begin a fresh chapter of 
high-speed rail service.
  In May of 1869, the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads were 
joined in the remote Utah desert, connecting the east and west coasts 
of the United States and completing the very first transcontinental 
railroad in our Nation's history.
  For almost a century and a half since, trains have transformed the 
way goods are transported and intercity passengers reach their 
destinations.
  From the moment of their birth, America's railroads have represented 
our efforts to meet the challenges and opportunities of living in a 
Nation that spans a continent.
  The rails that connected Atlantic to Pacific became the backbone upon 
which we built American commerce and ingenuity. In many ways they 
defined the fabric of our culture, laying the foundation that allowed 
our civilization to push the American frontier ever westward.
  Every year, Amtrak transports 28 million Americans between 500 
communities in 46 States.
  Intercity passenger rail is 18 percent more energy efficient than air 
travel and 25 percent more efficient than automobiles, making the 
modern locomotive one of the most refined and environmentally friendly 
technologies in American history.
  I have seen this firsthand. My early life was shaped in part by the 
great American railway. I was raised in Centralia, IL, a small town 
that was very much centered around the railroad.
  We lived along a major line originating in Chicago, a national 
transportation hub that ships goods, passengers and economic 
opportunity to every community it touches as the trains set out across 
the American heartland.
  Like many in our town, my father, grandfather and four great uncles 
worked many years for the Illinois Central Railroad.
  I am proud to be a part of the legacy that he and many others helped 
to create in Illinois and across the country, a legacy that continues 
to shape us even today.
  But now the aging infrastructure that gave definition to this country 
is badly in need of repair. The time has come once again to invest in 
rail travel.
  Throughout my career, I have supported high-speed rail technology, 
which will curb pollution and ease crowding on our roads and in the 
skies.
  Now, under President Obama's leadership, we have the chance to make 
this dream a reality.
  By making a substantial investment in clean, safe high-speed rail, we 
can renew the deep connections that bind our cities and states to one 
another and to our shared national identity.
  We can create jobs, revitalize our economy, protect our environment, 
and continue the proud tradition of our national railways.
  I ask my colleagues to join with me in reaffirming this commitment to 
modern rail service. I am glad that so many recognize the importance of 
railroads in shaping the past we share. But this year, on National 
Train Day, we should celebrate our past by looking to the future.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Udall of Colorado). The clerk will call 
the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak in morning 
business for up to 15 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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