(The following story by Julia F. Heming appeared on the Michigan Daily website on March 16.)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — On his way back to Ann Arbor riding the train from his hometown of LaGrange, Ill. this past spring break, LSA sophomore Peter Hasiakos decided to start a letter-writing campaign opposing the Bush administration’s proposed funding cut to Amtrak. Noticing the support from both the train conductors and other student passengers, Hasiakos realized that he was not alone in his disapproval.
In response to the funding cuts to the Amtrak rail service, Hasiakos and his fellow student travelers gathered yesterday in the Shapiro Undergraduate Library to sign letters that Hasiakos wrote to both local and national representatives. The cuts, which would reduce the federal funding for Amtrak from $1.2 billion to zero, are a part of Bush’s budget proposal for the next fiscal year.
Hasiakos said the Amtrak rail system presents a convenient means of travel for out-of-state students and their parents as well as being a good alternative for the environment. He added that the trains have a nice sense of community.
“It’s a great network, especially for college students,” he said.
Opposition is gathering around the country as well. The National Association of Rail Passengers — an advocacy group for train passengers — has encouraged people to write letters to their congressmen, senators and the president on their website. The organization has also made flyers to be distributed to increase awareness.
But Steve Kulm, spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration, said the opposition is overlooking the federal government’s motivation for the decrease in funding.
“They need to look beyond the face of zero funding — the key point here is reform,” he said.
Kulm reiterated the importance of the state’s involvement in the rail system.
“The states have a better idea of what is needed to meet the transportation needs of their residents,” he said.
If federal funding for Amtrak goes to zero, the states would have to pick up the costs of the rail service, but if they are unable to do so, the service may be canceled.
Michigan already contributes a $7.1 million subsidy to two of the three Michigan Amtrak rail lines. Spokesman for the Michigan Department of Transportation Ben Kohrman said the state values the presence of Amtrak.
“There is a significant return on the investment that the state makes to Amtrak,” he said, citing the 100 Amtrak jobs within the state, with a net return of about $2 million.
Though Kohrman couldn’t comment on the future of Amtrak state funding if Bush’s proposal goes through, he said it would require further examination.
“The state budget is very tight,” he said.
The students wrote letters to University President Mary Sue Coleman, Michigan and Illinois senators and the president.
“We want our representatives to keep the student perspective in mind,” Hasiakos said.
University spokeswoman Julie Peterson said the University has no official position on the issue.
LSA sophomore Beth Turk from Western Springs, Illinois said she has had good experiences riding the train because of her interactions with other passengers and her ability to work efficiently while traveling. She said she finds the proposed cuts disheartening because of the possibility of Amtrak’s cancellation. “There isn’t any reason to stop something that really benefits students,” she said.
But LSA Sophomore Nick Cheolas said he could understand the remarks of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, who has endorsed these cuts because he feels they will benefit Amtrak in the long run by making it part of a competitive market. Cheolas said he thought the transfer of responsibility to the states would open up the rail service to competition and therefore bring the rail fares down.
“I can understand fearing the loss of trains, but if there’s a profit to make, a company will step up,” Cheolas said.
Still, other students who frequently ride the train put their hopes into this letter-writing campaign. LSA freshman Mary Wilcop said she usually rides the train home to Chicago.
“Letters usually seem to be effective. I don’t know if it would lead to protesting, but who knows?” she said.