Hotline #792-A - September 29, 1993

Today both the Transportation Subcommittee and the full Senate Appropriations Committee approved their version of the 1994 DOT appropriations bill, H.R.2750. Amtrak got $351 million for operations, which is $20 million more than the House and the same as 1993. However, Amtrak has been saying for weeks that anything less than $381 million would trigger service cuts. Also, there is no money for new 403(b) services. The rest is good news -- we understand there is $208.5 million for Amtrak capital and $250 million for the Northeast Corridor, including money for high-speed train sets, which was rejected by the House. Also, unlike in the House bill, the Clinton high-speed corridor program was funded, getting $79 million, plus $28 million for a maglev prototype under the same program.