(The following appeared on the Washington Post website on May 27, 2011.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Republicans want to dismantle Amtrak, giving private investors the task of building and operating high-speed rail service between Washington and Boston.
They believe that an infusion of private capital would enable the system to be built in 10 years, a third of the time that Amtrak projects for completion of the $117 billion project, and that service would improve if operations were put in the hands of a for-profit company.
At a hearing Thursday, House Transportation Committee Chairman John L. Mica (R-Fla.) condemned Amtrak as having “one of the most dismal records on earth for any rail service, particularly in the Northeast Corridor.”
His plan to privatize the operations in the densely populated region from Washington to Boston was pounced on by Democrats and unions who represent Amtrak employees.
His plan to privatize the operations in the densely populated region from Washington to Boston was pounced on by Democrats and unions who represent Amtrak employees.
“The railroads didn’t want to run a railroad,” said Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), pointing to the demise of private passenger rail service more than 40 years ago. “They went bankrupt on passenger service. They begged the government to take it.”
Amtrak’s defenders said the system has been underfunded since its founding 40 years ago.
“It’s a classic starve-the-beast philosophy,” said Edward Wytkind, who heads the transportation division of the AFL-CIO. “You chronically underfund the company and then you expect it to do great things.”
While Wytkind said he supported private investment in rail service, he said “now is the time to boost investment in Amtrak.”
Full story: Washington Post