WASHINGTON, D.C. — For Amtrak, the ride lately has been like a rollercoaster, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.
Right now, it’s on an upswing: The House has joined the Senate in efforts to pump more money into the ailing national passenger rail system, which two months ago threatened to cut routes and services unless Congress provided $1.2 billion.
Among the 18 long-haul routes Amtrak warned could be cut is the Empire Builder, the only long-distance passenger line that goes through Minnesota. If Amtrak does secure the funding, however, state service could end up being upgraded with a Chicago-Minneapolis high-speed rail line.
The Senate is poised to vote on a bill that would give Amtrak $4.6 billion a year for five years — far more than Amtrak requested.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., called the enlarged proposal a needed investment in the nation’s passenger rail infrastructure.
“Now more than ever, we should realize our need for a world-class passenger railroad system in the U.S. to complement our interstate highway system and our massive aviation network,” Hollings said.
But a dispute over Amtrak’s use of contracted labor has stalled action on two rail bills in a House subcommittee, including one that would give Amtrak $1.9 billion in general funding next year.
The Bush administration’s budget includes $521 million for passenger rail service for next year, but Amtrak spokesman Bill Schultz said “anything less than [$1.2 billion] would have a substantial impact on the operations of trains.”
Rep. Mark Kennedy, R-Minn., a member of the House Transportation Committee, said he is wary of supporting additional federal subsidies for Amtrak, but said he would like to see a high-speed rail line serving Minnesota.
“You can put me on the side of being pro-reforming Amtrak,” said Kennedy. “And also on the side of saying upgrading lines such as Chicago to Minneapolis-St. Paul are a much better path for Amtrak to be going on, rather than trying to sustain lines that are long-term unsustainable.”
Minnesota Rep. James Oberstar, ranking Democrat on the House Transportation Committee, is one of 125 lawmakers who have signed a letter encouraging the House Appropriations Committee to give Amtrak its full request.
A similar letter is circulating in the Senate.
Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., said he plans to sign on to Hollings’ bill as a co-sponsor. Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., has not yet taken a position. Wellstone said he supports funding for Amtrak but wants to study it further.
The Senate bill has 32 cosponsors, but it faces opposition from senators who want to see Amtrak become self-sufficient, complying with a 1997 law passed by Congress.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., introduced a bill that would have limited Amtrak’s funding to $1.2 billion, but it was rejected in a Senate committee.
McCain spokeswoman Pia Pialorsi said that “McCain feels that after over 20 years of throwing more money at Amtrak and with still under 1 percent of the population using it, we really need to rethink it and make it more effective and efficient.”
St. Paul Amtrak station manager Rick Johnson said Amtrak will never be entirely self-supporting, but that an upgrade to high-speed rail would attract more customers, increasing revenue and improving Amtrak’s efficiency.
“The highways are packed, the airports are full — they’re talking about trying to expand the airports — but the rail is the one area that hasn’t been expanded and is wide open.”