(The Fort Worth Star-Telegram published the following story by Gordon Dickson on its website on July 29.)
FORT WORTH, Texas — Saying that cash-strapped Amtrak is once again facing a shutdown, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, will introduce legislation to save the nation’s only coast-to-coast passenger rail service.
Hutchison’s proposal, which will be introduced Wednesday, comes as the Bush administration Monday released its proposal for restructuring Amtrak that includes eliminating unprofitable long-distance routes. The proposal could mean the end of the line for two Amtrak routes in Texas: the Texas Eagle, which stops daily in Fort Worth, Chicago and San Antonio; and the Sunset Limited, which connects Florida to Southern California via Houston and San Antonio.
President Bush’s proposal would require states to assume the responsibility for forming regional railroads and hiring Amtrak or other operators to make the long-distance connections.
“If you turn Amtrak over to the states, it’s gone,” Hutchison said in a statement. “Train tracks, just like our highways and airways, don’t stop at the state line. As chairman of the Surface Transportation Subcommittee, I support a national rail system and will introduce legislation this week to achieve that goal and transform America’s passenger rail system.”
Hutchison’s plan would provide $60 billion over six years, spokesman Kevin Schweers said. About $12 billion — or $2 billion per year — would be provided for operating costs, and $48 billion in government bonds would be made available to upgrade the nation’s clogged freight lines, which are often blamed for Amtrak’s poor on-time performance.
The Bush administration’s proposal carries no price tag and has no details about which money-losing lines would be eliminated and which new rail corridors would be promoted.
Under the Bush plan:
— Amtrak, over six years, would become three companies: a private passenger rail company that runs trains under contract to states; a company that operates and maintains the Northeast Corridor; and a government corporation that would retain Amtrak’s rights to use freight railroad tracks and its corporate name.
— States would form multistate compacts to invest in and run passenger railroads.
— States would submit proposals for capital investment and operations to the Transportation Department. Eventually, the states could pick a train operator from private companies and public transit agencies that would presumably bid for the contract.
— The federal government would no longer pay for operating costs; that would be left to the states. But the federal government would pay for 50 percent of infrastructure costs.
This report contains material from the Associated Press.