WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thirteen of the nation’s 18 long-distance passenger train routes stand to be eliminated under cuts to Amtrak’s budget pending before the House Appropriations Committee.
That’s the assessment of Rep. James L. Oberstar (Minn.), Ranking Democratic Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Oberstar’s statement, issued October 1, follows:
HOUSE REPUBLICAN APPROPRIATORS WOULD ELIMINATE MORE THAN A DOZEN AMTRAK LONG-DISTANCE TRAINS
Last week, the House Appropriations Committee denied Amtrak’s request for $1.2 billion for fiscal year 2003. Amtrak Chief Executive Officer David Gunn has stated that Amtrak cannot operate a national system of intercity passenger trains if less than $1.2 billion is appropriated in FY2003. Despite this fact, the Committee approved only $762 million for Amtrak – far short of what virtually every independent observer, including the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General, has stated that Amtrak must have to simply continue current operations. During consideration of the bill, Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Democratic Member Martin Sabo offered an amendment to provide $1.2 billion for Amtrak. The Republican majority defeated the Sabo amendment on a straight party line vote. The House Appropriations Committee is expected to approve the bill today.
In addition to cutting Amtrak’s budget request by more than one-third, the Appropriations Committee included a provision that limits the amount of funding that may be used to operate the national network of long-distance trains to $150 million in FY2003, less than one-half of the funding for the national network provided in FY2002. Although the bill places the burden of selecting which long-distance route to eliminate on Amtrak, an analysis of the likely criterion for route elimination shows that at least a dozen long-distance train routes could be eliminated next year.
A recent General Accounting Office report (GAO-02-398), using data supplied by Amtrak, documents the losses associated with each long-distance train route. Based on the House Appropriations Committee’s original proposal to eliminate train routes, it is fair to assume that Amtrak will eliminate the trains that lose the most money per passenger first. Without new revenues—or diverting funds from badly needed infrastructure repairs — Amtrak will be forced to eliminate 13 of its 18 long-distance train routes to reduce the long-distance train operating deficit to less than $150 million. More than 2.3 million riders would lose service on these 13 long-distance train routes.
The long-distance train routes that would most likely be eliminated are:
— the Sunset Limited from Orlando to Los Angeles via Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Pensacola, Mobile, New Orleans, Houston, San Antonio, and Tucson;
— the Pennsylvanian from Philadelphia to Chicago via Harrisburg, Cleveland, Toledo, and Pittsburgh;
— the Texas Eagle from Chicago to Los Angeles via Springfield, St. Louis, Little Rock, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Tucson;
— the Three Rivers from New York to Chicago via Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh;
— the Southwest Chief from Chicago to Los Angeles via Kansas City, Topeka, Albuquerque, and Flagstaff;
— the Kentucky Cardinal from Chicago to Louisville via Indianapolis;
— the Cardinal from Washington to Chicago via Charleston, WV, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis;
— the Capitol Limited from Washington to Chicago via Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Toledo;
— the California Zephyr from Chicago to Oakland via Omaha, Lincoln, Denver, Salt Lake City, Reno, and Sacramento;
— the Lake Shore Limited from New York to Chicago via Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo, Cleveland, and Toledo;
— the Crescent from New York to New Orleans via Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Greensboro, Charlotte, Greenville, Atlanta, and Birmingham;
— the Silver Palm from New York to Miami via Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Richmond, Charleston, SC, Savannah, Jacksonville, Tampa, and Ft. Lauderdale; and
— the City of New Orleans from Chicago to New Orleans via Memphis.
Only train service along the West Coast, the Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago across the Northern tier, and New York-Florida service would continue. Many cities, including Dallas, Denver, New Orleans, San Antonio, Salt Lake City, Tucson, Atlanta, Little Rock, Pittsburgh, and Houston would lose all passenger train service. We would no longer have a national intercity passenger rail system.
Despite claims that the states will pick up the costs of the long-distance train services or that these operations ought to be provided by the private sector, the most likely outcome is that our Nation will lose its national network of intercity trains and dozens of cities and rural areas will lose all intercity passenger rail service.
This outcome is neither what the American people want nor what our transportation system needs. In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, Amtrak and intercity buses were the only long-distance transportation services operating in this country. We need to expand our transportation options, not eliminate choices.
As Congress moves forward with consideration of the Transportation Appropriations bill, I will work to increase funding for Amtrak to ensure that our Nation maintains its national system of intercity passenger rail and we continue to provide rail service to cities and rural communities throughout the United States.