(The Associated Press circulated the following article on May 23.)
WASHINGTON — If Amtrak were to go out of business, it would cripple regional commuter railroads from Fredericksburg to Boston.
That’s the word from a new report from the Government Accountability Office released yesterday.
The Washington area’s two commuter rail lines rely heavily on Amtrak for train operation and maintenance. Amtrak employees help maintain service for both Virginia Railway Express and Maryland’s MARC trains, which carry 40-thousand riders daily.
According to the report, VRE is 100 percent dependent on Amtrak for train operators and about 66 percent dependent for equipment and maintenance.
President Bush has tried to cut federal funding for Amtrak. The GAO report says if lawmakers substantially cut funding, an Amtrak bankruptcy or shutdown could quickly follow.
Commuter lines have been looking at contingency plans for a possible Amtrak stoppage.