(The following report by Gary Martin appeared on the San Antonio Express-News website on October 25.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A measure to eliminate costly Amtrak routes in the South and West — including two that serve San Antonio — was rejected overwhelmingly Thursday by the Senate.
The amendment to cut federal subsidies and eliminate the long-haul routes was defeated on a 28-66 vote after lawmakers said the lack of rail service would unfairly deprive riders of service outside the eastern corridor.
“Texas rail passengers depend on these routes daily,” said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.
Targeted in the measure to eliminate 15 long distance trains were the Sunset Limited, which runs from Orlando to Los Angeles, and the Texas Eagle, which runs north to Chicago. Both lines run through San Antonio.
More than 42,000 passengers boarded or disembarked trains in San Antonio last year, according to Amtrak.
San Antonio was the second busiest train depot in Texas, behind Fort Worth, where 81,000 passengers got on and off trains.
Overall, more than 268,000 passengers boarded and alighted trains in Texas last year. Amtrak also employs 250 workers in Texas, and spent $12.7 million on goods and services in the state.
Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., sought the elimination of the long distance trains to make Amtrak more fiscally sound and reduce federal subsidies for riders.
He noted that 43 percent of operating funds were being spent on 15 percent of Amtrak riders, particularly on routes in rural areas of the country.
Train service for cities along the East Coast are more profitable and cost less per passenger to operate.
President Bush has tried to slash Amtrak funding in recent years, and Congress has criticized the railway for financial inefficiencies and mismanagement.
Hutchison has blocked attempts to sell off non-profitable Amtrak trains and routes and consolidate passenger service in the East.
“Amtrak must be ‘national or nothing,’ and eliminating the Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited would be a step backward in this pursuit,” Hutchison said.
Hutchison is a member of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on transportation, which has oversight of federal funding for Amtrak.