(The following article was posted on the Cherry Hill Courier Post website on February 19.)
WASHINGTON — President Bush appears to have given up his fight to deprive Amtrak of federal subsidies, but some lawmakers and other supporters say the $900 million the president has requested this year isn’t enough help to make the passenger railroad a viable alternative to airplane and automobile travel.
New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-Cliffside Park, and Delaware Sen. Thomas Carper are among the voices being raised in Amtrak’s support on Capitol Hill.
“They would not mind seeing Amtrak go bankrupt and parcel it out to the various states and have them pay for it,” Lautenberg said. “We cannot afford, from several standpoints, to be without Amtrak, not the least of which is (national) security.”
Other supporters say about $2 billion is needed to repair aging tracks and bridges along the Northeast Corridor.
New Jersey, with its burgeoning deficit and empty transportation trust fund, would be hard-pressed to provide alternative rail service or fund infrastructure improvements.