Ron Utt of the Heritage Foundation has issued another anti-Amtrak diatribe. One new element in his pitch is an unfounded attack on S. 1516, the bipartisan rail passenger reauthorization bill. Utt says S. 1516 would “interrupt the management and operational reforms now underway, or promised, by Amtrak’s new management” and “limit the extent to which Amtrak could engage in such promising reforms as competitive contracting, concessions, and public/private partnerships.”
In fact, S. 1516 incorporates many of the statutory reforms that Amtrak sought to advance its strategic reform initiatives. They include:
Utt makes clear what has been obvious to many: he would dump all long-distance trains. He says “a good place to begin would be the Sunset Limited” but continues “this should be followed by the Silver Service.”
This makes the true intentions of anti-Amtrak pundits clear: killing the entire national network.
-Ross Capon