(The following story by Raju Chebium and Nicole Gaudiano appeared on the Cherry Hill Courier-Post website on June 11.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Train travelers moved closer to the possibility of a faster trip to New York or Washington with House passage of a bill supporting construction of a new high-speed rail system in the Northeast.
The 311-104 vote Wednesday exceeds the two-thirds majority necessary to override President Bush’s threatened veto. All 13 New Jersey House members voted for the bill.
The bill would authorize a total of $14.4 billion for Amtrak and for states to develop intercity passenger rail systems in addition to high-speed rail systems over the next five years. It would set aside $1.75 billion over the next five years for 11 high-speed rail corridors, including the Washington-to-Boston Northeast Corridor.
Private companies could bid on building the rail system.
“Rail service is the lifeline from which New Jersey’s state economy draws nourishment,” said Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J. “Our region’s employers … small, medium and large … depend upon an integrated rail operation to enable many of their employees to get to and from work.”
The bill contains a provision Holt wrote requiring Amtrak to evaluate rail service between Princeton Junction and New York. Amtrak ridership has plunged 90 percent at that station since 2004, according to Holt’s office.
“Today’s bill will go a long way in making substantial improvements to the Amtrak system, rightly focusing on passenger safety and enhanced service along the congested Northeast Corridor,” said Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J., who serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
New Jersey already has express service through the Acela train, which travels from Washington to New York in less than three hours. But this legislation calls for rail service that would cut the trip to less than two hours, traveling at speeds expected to reach at least 110 mph.
The legislation also would require the secretary of transportation to request proposals for the financing, design, construction and operation of the high-speed rail service. Congress would have the final say.
The bill also would set aside $400 million per year to be given directly to the states for new passenger rail projects.
Some Democrats like Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey strongly oppose privatization. He co-wrote an $11.4 billion Amtrak bill that passed the Senate 70-22 in October.
Either bill would represent a boost in funding for the quasi-private passenger rail service, which received $1.3 billion from Congress last year.
Bush sought $900 million for Amtrak in next year’s budget.
Though Bush likes the House bill’s privatization proposal, the White House threatened a veto on Monday. In a statement, the White House said it opposes increasing funding “without requiring any meaningful reforms in Amtrak’s governance or operations and without allocating resources based on the demand for passenger rail service.”
House and Senate negotiators now have to come up with a compromise bill, which has to pass Congress and win Bush’s approval to become law. The House-passed bill doesn’t fund railroad operations. For money to be released, Congress has to pass an appropriations measure after the rail bill is signed into law.