[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 74 (Thursday, April 29, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S2366]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 190--RECOGNIZING 50 YEARS OF SERVICE BY THE NATIONAL 
        RAILROAD PASSENGER CORPORATION, COMMONLY KNOWN AS AMTRAK

  Ms. CANTWELL (for herself, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Peters, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. 
Tester, Mr. Moran, Mr. Markey, Mr. Lujan, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Baldwin, 
and Ms. Klobuchar) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation:

                              S. Res. 190

       Whereas, on October 30, 1970, Congress enacted the Rail 
     Passenger Service Act of 1970 (Public Law 91-518; 84 Stat. 
     1327), which created the National Railroad Passenger 
     Corporation (commonly known and referred to in this preamble 
     as ``Amtrak'') to assume the responsibility of providing the 
     United States with nationwide passenger rail service, which 
     began on May 1, 1971;
       Whereas May 1, 2021, marks 50 years since the date Amtrak 
     began providing passenger rail service to individuals in the 
     United States;
       Whereas Amtrak connects over 500 communities across 46 
     States, the District of Columbia, and 3 Canadian Provinces;
       Whereas, in 2019, Amtrak provided over 32,000,000 trips, 
     the highest yearly ridership in its history;
       Whereas the total annual economic impact of Amtrak and the 
     passengers it serves across the United States exceeds 
     $8,000,000,000;
       Whereas Amtrak has formed valuable partnerships with 17 
     States to operate 28 regionalized routes, which resulted in 
     15,400,000 trips in 2019;
       Whereas Amtrak operates 15 long-distance routes that 
     resulted in 4,600,000 trips in 2019;
       Whereas the Acela and the Northeast Regional, 2 services of 
     Amtrak along the Northeast Corridor, provided 12,500,000 
     trips in 2019; and
       Whereas Amtrak provides a number of essential services and 
     public benefits, which include--
       (1) serving as the only source of public transportation in 
     many rural communities;
       (2) employing approximately 16,000 people and supporting 
     tens of thousands of additional jobs in the communities it 
     serves; and
       (3) because Amtrak is 47 percent more energy efficient than 
     car travel and 33 percent more energy efficient than air 
     travel (as measured by passenger miles), providing an 
     environmentally friendly way to travel: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate recognizes--
       (1) 50 years of service by the National Railroad Passenger 
     Corporation (commonly known and referred to in this 
     resolution as ``Amtrak'');
       (2) the need for safe and affordable national passenger 
     rail service in the United States;
       (3) that Amtrak provides a vital connection for both urban 
     and rural communities throughout the United States and, in 
     the process, contributes to the economic growth of those 
     communities; and
       (4) that the restoration and expansion of the services that 
     Amtrak provides is in the interest of the United States.

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