(The following appeared on the Charleston Gazette website on November 1.)
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Sens. Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller, both D-W.Va., helped pass bipartisan legislation to provide $19.2 billion to keep Amtrak trains running for another six years.
The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2007, which passed the Senate earlier this week, guarantees the continuance of passenger service through scores of rural areas.
Byrd and Rockefeller opposed Bush administration efforts to privatize Amtrak, which would have slashed funding for routes in rural communities across the nation.
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“This is a great day for rail passengers in West Virginia and across the nation who rely on Amtrak for long-distance travel and daily commuting,” Byrd said.
“The Senate has passed strong legislation that will improve and modernize our nation’s rail system. By investing in infrastructure and strengthening efficiency and marketability, this bill will put Amtrak on stronger footing for the future,” he said.
Since 2001, the Bush administration has repeatedly worked to cut Amtrak service and eliminate rural routes.
“Amtrak carries people between our biggest cities and our smallest communities,” Byrd said. “Without Amtrak service, many regions of rural America would not benefit from the convenience and economic opportunities offered by a rail system.”
During the last federal fiscal year, more than 24.2 million people rode Amtrak trains, the fourth-straight year of record patronage — an average of more than 67,000 passengers a day.
Two long-distance Amtrak trains — the Capitol Limited and the Cardinal — stop in West Virginia cities, including Alderson, Charleston, Harpers Ferry, Hinton, Martinsburg, Montgomery, Prince, Thurmond, and White Sulfur Springs.
Last year 13,000 riders boarded trains in Huntington, making it the Mountain State’s most popular Amtrak station.