(Amtrak issued the following statement on July 19.)
WASHINGTON — We applaud the action by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee this afternoon. If enacted, today’s $1.4 billion mark for Amtrak in FY ’06 will permit continuing capital investment in our nation’s passenger rail infrastructure begun three years ago after too many years of deferred maintenance. However, even at this level of federal support, we continue to be in a race against time to address critical infrastructure needs.
For the past three years, Amtrak has held the line on its need for annual federal operating support, despite rising costs in fuel, liability, labor and other inflationary pressures. We’ve done so by cutting expenses, persuading states to cover more operating costs, reducing by 20% our employee headcount, running more trains and maintaining ridership at its highest level ever.
There’s still a lot more to be done at Amtrak, as we outlined in the comprehensive series of strategic reforms to which we committed ourselves earlier this year. Adequate federal funding in the year ahead is both a sign of support for what we’ve accomplished to date and for the reforms and the improvements in passenger service we continue to seek. It will also allow Congress time to address Amtrak’s reauthorization and chart a course for the future of passenger rail service.