(The following article by Jennifer A. Dlouhy was posted on the Albany Times-Union website on February 4.)
WASHINGTON — President Bush has never been a fan of Amtrak.
During his six years in office, he has routinely asked Congress to slash funding for the beleaguered national passenger railroad, which is plagued by many unprofitable routes and a debt of $3.6 billion.
This week, Bush is poised to ask lawmakers again to wean the rail service off the government dole as part of his proposed federal budget for fiscal year 2008 that starts Oct. 1.
But instead of going along with Bush’s wishes, rail enthusiasts in the House and Senate want to spend billions more in taxpayer dollars in an effort to get Amtrak back on track.
November’s elections gave a big boost to Amtrak by putting rail-riding Democrats in charge of the House and Senate and by ensuring that some of the rail service’s biggest boosters got powerful posts on key congressional committees.
Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., one of the Senate’s biggest rail champions, said that despite “several gloomy years, the future of America’s passenger railroad is bright.”
Lautenberg and Trent Lott, R-Miss., are pushing legislation that would allow Amtrak to get $3.2 billion in federal funding annually — a far cry from the $900 million Bush is expected to request this week.
Lautenberg said Amtrak should not be “forced to fight for federal funding … that has been insufficient at best.”
“If we do not invest in Amtrak now, I fear for our country’s economy and quality of life over the coming years,” Lautenberg said. “We simply cannot afford to rely solely on air travel or automobiles if we are going to keep this country moving.”
Lautenberg and Lott’s bill would require Amtrak to set and meet “specific” performance goals, allow the government to fine freight railroads that delay passenger trains, and fund repairs of railroads in the Northeast Corridor stretching from Washington, D.C., to Boston.
Similar legislation passed the Senate last year but it never came to a vote in the House. This year, the bill’s chances are better than ever.
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee is set to hold a hearing on the Lautenberg-Lott measure later this month.
Democrats, who took over the House and Senate last month, have historically been more friendly to the rail service. Many lawmakers in the Northeast use Amtrak to travel between their home states and the nation’s capital.
Congress is poised to pass a spending bill this month that would give Amtrak $1.3 billion for the current fiscal year. This is the same amount the carrier received the year before.
In contrast, the White House has repeatedly asked Congress to cut Amtrak funding and allow private companies to operate some of the most profitable routes. Two years ago, the Bush administration wanted the government to stop funding Amtrak altogether.
Amtrak has said it needs more than a billion dollars annually to keep the trains running; last year, the railroad asked for at least $1.6 billion from the federal government.
Longtime critics of Amtrak, such as Rep. John L. Mica, R-Fla., say it is inefficient and mismanaged. They have called on Amtrak to get rid of money-losing services, such as food and beverage operations on some trains and sleeper cars that are more popular on long-distance routes.
Rail supporters counter that trains are an essential part of a comprehensive transportation system that deserves government funding — just as trains in Europe are subsidized.