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Mica Pushes Amtrak Breakup
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
“The Bush Administration tried to destroy the railroad from within, by splitting off the Northeast Corridor…I’m glad the board has backed off its efforts for now.” Thus spoke Rep. Corrine Brown (D-FL), ranking member of the railroads subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. This was at the subcommittee’s Sept. 28 hearing where Alex Kummant, Amtrak president and CEO since Sept. 12, testified for the first time and was the only witness.
Rep. John Mica (R-FL), however, has not lost his enthusiasm for breaking up Amtrak. This may indicate that Bush Administration officials feel likewise. Mica chairs the aviation subcommittee, but never misses an opportunity to criticize Amtrak. He said, “We’ve got to separate out the Northeast Corridor…We’ve got to give the private sector an opportunity to help build and expand service there.”
Kummant did not seem enthusiastic, saying he was willing to consider anything, but “there are tremendous operating challenges with peeling something off.”
—Ross B. Capon