(The following article by Mark Ginocchio was posted on the Stamford Advocate website on March 7.)
STAMFORD, Conn. — If the federal government cut off its subsidy to Amtrak, the consequences for Connecticut could be significant — more congestion on the highways, service cuts for commuter railways and added financial burden.
State Department of Transportation officials said they are concerned about President Bush’s call last month to eliminate the $1.2 billion subsidy of Amtrak.
“There should be a national system, and we’ve advocated that for many years,” said James Boice, interim bureau chief for DOT’s Bureau of Public Transportation. “A regional railroad puts more of a burden on the states. A national rail system needs to be the responsibility of the federal government.”
At several public meetings last month, DOT Commissioner Stephen Korta said the Bush administration’s proposal jeopardizes such state services as Shore Line East Railroad, which runs between Old Saybrook and New Haven with express trains to Stamford; and the prospective rail line to New Haven, Hartford and Springfield, Mass.
Amtrak owns tracks used by both railroads. The state is negotiating access fees with Amtrak for Shore Line East Railroad; that contract expires in June.
Because of track ownership, the state’s relationship with Amtrak is unique, Boice said. Nationally, Amtrak uses about 20,000 miles of track but owns only 600 miles of it, including about 60 miles east of New Haven and 60 miles north toward Hartford.
It is unclear what would happen to those tracks if Amtrak went bankrupt, Boice said.
“That’s the big question,” he said.
The state likely would have to work out an agreement with the Federal Rail Administration and other rail operations in the Northeast, Boice said. It was one of many issues discussed last week in a Washington, D.C., conference of Northeast rail operators, he said.
Amtrak officials would not comment.
According to DOT statistics, Amtrak ridership in the state has been rising. About 1.4 million people rode Amtrak in 2004, a 18.7 percent increase from a year ago.
Boice said he expects the numbers to grow next year.
The Acela express train, which travels between Boston and Washington, D.C., stopping in Stamford, has been a success, especially with business travelers, said Joseph McGee, vice president of public policy for the Business Council of Fairfield County.
“It’s an important connection in the city because Stamford is such a business center,” McGee said. “We fought so hard to get service to Stamford. It would be a real shame if that service ever ceased.”
Officials disagree about how to solve the problems of Amtrak, which has received subsidies for 30 years and accumulated huge debt.
In a letter to the Senate Budget Committee, U.S. Sens. Joseph Lieberman and Christopher Dodd, both D-Conn., and 33 other U.S. senators said Amtrak must be funded.
“There is an enormous amount of work needed on the infrastructure, fleet and equipment Amtrak owns and operates,” the Feb. 10 letter stated. “Amtrak cannot continue to defer this important work without jeopardizing safety and reliability of its operations or putting at risk service that is relied on by hundreds of thousands of commuter and intercity passengers each day.”
U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Bridgeport, said he is concerned about the proposed cuts but thinks Amtrak must change.
“We can’t afford for our rail service to fail, but we also can’t afford to write a blank check with no strings attached,” Shays said in a statement. “It needs to be reformed — including a business plan which includes possible regionalization of its services and improved customer service. Our economy depends on it and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks made clear that our country can’t rely on any one mode of transportation.”
Transportation advocates said the government must do everything it can to promote mass transportation. Jim Cameron, vice chairman of the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council, said it is hard to say what effect an Amtrak bankruptcy would have on the state’s rail system. But he can predict where many commuters would end up if they were to lose rail service.
“You would see most on (Interstate) 95 and the roads,” Cameron said, and traffic between Boston and Washington, D.C., would increase, making the Connecticut portion of I-95 more unbearable.
Some insiders suggest the proposed subsidy cuts are scare tactics the Bush administration is using to get Amtrak to be more fiscally responsible. If that’s true, the debate is nerve-wracking, said Karen Burnaska, co-chairwoman of the Coastal Corridor Transportation Investment Area.
“It’s definitely a concern and we’re in favor of keeping this service,” Burnaska said. “I just don’t want to see commuters get caught in the middle of politics.”