(The Sacramento Bee published the following editorial on its website on August 6.)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Bush administration advanced a shortsighted, miserly Amtrak plan last week, a plan that, if approved, would mark the beginning of the end for the nation’s passenger rail system. Two days later, four Republicans in the Senate, led by Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, countered with a plan of their own. It, if approved, could resurrect this long-neglected but potentially vital component of the nation’s transportation system.
Significantly, the four Republicans — Hutchison, Conrad Burns from Montana, Olympia Snowe from Maine and Trent Lott from Mississippi — all represent states outside the busy Northeast Corridor. (That Boston-New York-Washington rail service stops 129 miles south of Maine.) This coalition proves that GOP support for a national rail system goes beyond the rail-dependent Northeast. And, given generally enthusiastic support for Amtrak from Democrats, the support from Republicans from diverse regions of the country increases the chances that strong bipartisan support for a truly viable national passenger rail service may yet emerge.
The Hutchison plan would infuse $48 billion into badly needed capital rail projects and another $12 billion over six years to operate passenger systems. The capital funding would come in the form of an 80/20 federal-state match, much like the grant systems that now exist for highways.
By contrast, the Bush plan calls for dumping responsibility for intercity passenger rail onto the states, but provides no funding. Worse, under long-standing rules, Amtrak is able to run its passenger service on tracks owned by the private railroads at reduced costs. If Amtrak disintegrates — and under the Bush scheme, it surely would -state-run passenger rail programs that use privately owned tracks would lose their discount advantage as well.
California has already poured billions of its own money into passenger rail networks. But California, like many other states across the nation, is broke. For passenger rail to become the viable alternative to crowded freeways it has the potential to be, federal help will be needed. Hutchison’s plan would provide that necessary federal help. Bush’s plan would not.