(The following editorial appeared on the Munster Times website on February 20.)
MUNSTER, Ind. — Beware of the Bush administration’s plan to reform Amtrak. A more likely result would be to kill it.
In President Bush’s 2006 budget, he proposes to eliminate federal subsidies for the passenger rail line, instead urging states to shoulder the burden.
That idea is just plain wrong — and for a number of reasons.
The most obvious is that the reform is unworkable. States just don’t have enough money to operate the rail service. Yanking the federal subsidy out from under Amtrak would doom it.
It also would be unfair. Everyone knows passenger rail service needs a government subsidy in order to operate. That’s the reason Amtrak was formed in the first place. Private rail lines weren’t making enough money to continue providing the service.
But keep in mind that other modes of transportation are subsidized, too. Where would airlines go were it not for airports built at government expense?
Then there’s the homeland security angle. Remember the days immediately after 9/11 when the planes were grounded? People took trains to get home.
Financially, Indiana would be clobbered if Amtrak is forced to shut down. Statewide, more than 1,000 Hoosiers worked for Amtrak last year, and the company spent $19.7 million in the state. Indiana is home to Amtrak’s principal maintenance facility, just outside Indianapolis.
Hammond’s Amtrak station served 11,687 people last year, while Dyer’s station served 1,042. Amtrak lines connect Chicago — and the region — to Washington, D.C., and New York.
Fortunately, Congress has been kind to Amtrak during past attempts to shut it down.
Roger Sims, president of the Indiana High Speed Rail Association, said Amtrak has already made many improvements.
“I think Congress has clearly separated themselves from the president before on the Amtrak issue and will continue to do so,” Sims said. “I think key leaders on both sides of the aisle don’t agree with (the) president’s take on rail transportation.”
Let us hope Sims is right and that Amtrak continues to get a federal subsidy.
The $1.2 billion Amtrak got last year isn’t a huge chunk of the federal budget, but it is all that stands between Amtrak’s continued operation and bankruptcy.
Congress needs to keep the trains running on time.