WASHINGTON — The deadly derailment of an Amtrak train in Florida may prompt Congress to act faster than expected on the future of the financially troubled passenger rail service, congressional and other sources said.
While investigators probing Thursday’s Auto Train derailment have not ruled out any potential cause, the dire fiscal problems that have placed the question of Amtrak before Congress do not appear to be a factor, at least for now, a wire service reports.
But the accident seriously damaged important Amtrak assets, temporarily knocked out one of its few successful lines, and magnified an area of controversy in Amtrak operations — its huge dependency on tracks run by freight railroads.
“It’s another setback for Amtrak,” one key lawmaker said of the derailment’s potential long term impact on operations as well as more damaging publicity that could fuel criticism regardless of what investigators might say.
On the other hand, the derailment may be a wake-up call of sorts. Congress has moved slowly to make a decision on at least a temporary solution for Amtrak. The railroad says it cannot survive without heavy government subsidies and has asked for substantial aid.
A plan to give the nation’s only city-to-city rail service its requested $1.2 billion in assistance for fiscal 2003 is expected to be introduced this week in the House.
“Sometimes a crisis will help us expedite a decision of what to do,” said Rep. John Mica, a Florida Republican and a powerful force on transportation matters in Congress.
“Amtrak is certainly in dire straits and maybe this will provide some motivation for some positive action,” Mica added.
Other congressional and rail sources agreed. “This may provide some impetus for action on the Hill,” one rail industry official said on condition of anonymity.
Congress, which has doled out hundreds of millions of dollars in rail subsidies this year, can act in a number of ways on Amtrak’s future. Proposals range from long-term federal help for capital and operating expenses to breaking up operations and opening routes to competition.
Many on Capitol Hill oppose radically restructuring national passenger rail because of the service it provides in their districts and the jobs it creates. Many routes were created because Congress demanded them.
Lawmakers in the politically potent Northeast, where Amtrak makes money on its high-speed trains between Washington and Boston, are largely unified around preserving service even though the railroad has not turned a profit in 31 years and lost $1.1 billion last year.
HOLLINGS PLAN
On the day of the derailment, a key Senate committee approved a plan pushed by South Carolina Democrat and Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ernest Hollings that would provide $4.6 billion to Amtrak each year for the next five years. That money would keep operations current and improve infrastructure, including track upgrades. The plan has strong support in the full Senate.
But others, including the chairman of the House subcommittee on railroads, New York Republican Jack Quinn, favor a temporary solution that would keep Amtrak going but not rule out change later.
Quinn will propose a plan this week that will provide Amtrak with the $1.2 billion in funding it says it needs to maintain operations for another year. Amtrak has threatened to cut some or all of its money losing long distance routes if a substantial aid package was not approved by this October.
The stop-gap proposal would give Congress more time to work on a full pan.
Transportation Department officials believe Congress will opt for a temporary solution because lawmakers don’t want to get bogged down during an election year in which they face pressing issues on the Middle East and the war on terrorism.