(The following story by Bob Withers appeared on The Herald-Dispatch website on July 1.)
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Things are starting to look up for Amtrak.
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted an amendment introduced by Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., to take Amtrak’s Cardinal off a list of 17 passenger trains specifically targeted for discontinuance by House appropriators.
A second amendment, which Rahall also supported, proposes increasing Amtrak’s fiscal 2006 funding to $1.17 billion.
“Amtrak, and specifically the Cardinal line, is crucial to West Virginia,” Rahall said. “The amendment I introduced … will ensure that the Cardinal is not lost in the massive cuts to Amtrak which were proposed by the president.”
Earlier this year, the Bush administration proposed eliminating Amtrak funding altogether, forcing the passenger rail carrier into bankruptcy. The budget plan proposed a scant $360 million to help states maintain commuter operations within their borders.
Last month, the House Appropriations Committee’s transportation/treasury subcommittee voted to recommend $550 million for Amtrak, which still would amount to a shutdown of the national system. A few days later, the full committee ratified the subcommittee’s decision.
The same bill would increase federal-aid highway spending to $37 billion – $2.7 billion above the current level and $1.6 billion above the president’s request – and increase Federal Aviation Administration funding to $14.4 billion, $877 million above the current level and $1.7 billion above Bush’s request.
The Cardinal – which travels between Washington, D.C., and Chicago through Huntington and southern West Virginia – serves nearly 90,000 passengers annually. If Rahall’s amendment remains in the final version of the Transportation Appropriations Bill, the Cardinal will remain operational.
“The original bill was ready to eliminate the Cardinal line,” Rahall said. “With the support of my colleagues, I was able to ensure that the Cardinal is not eliminated by the funding cuts. I am committed to ensuring train service is available for West Virginians and for the whole of rural America.”
The amendment – which Reps. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., and Robert Menendez, D-N.J., introduced with Rahall – passed by a vote of 269-152. It would keep Amtrak routes functioning in 23 mostly rural states, including West Virginia, that otherwise would lose all passenger rail service.
“Passing these amendments are the first steps toward saving Amtrak, but we must ensure these provisions stay in the final version of the bill,” Rahall said. “I will continue to work with my colleagues to help make sure Amtrak receives sufficient funding to continue serving our nation with passenger rail, especially the Cardinal line.”