Railroad Passengers Urge Presidential Candidates to Consider Train Investments
- Details
- Published Date
- Written by Super User
- Category: Press Releases
- Hits: 217
Release #08-18—September 16, 2008
As the Presidential election season heats up, the National Association of Railroad Passengers has urged the campaigns of both major parties to make greater federal investments in our national passenger train system a key part of plans to address economic, environmental, and energy challenges. NARP also asked “the candidates to make the same case to your colleagues on Capitol Hill” and to explain how the candidates, “as president, would ensure greater funding for passenger trains.”
In letters to Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and John McCain (R-AZ), NARP Executive Director Ross B. Capon noted that, “Passenger trains are one positive response to this confluence of national dilemmas,” of increasing oil prices and economic challenges.
“Americans are flocking to trains as airline and private vehicle travel becomes more expensive and less convenient. July 2008 was the highest ridership month in Amtrak’s 37-year history, with 14% more passengers than in July 2007. Individual routes recorded up to 43% even as Americans drove and flew less. Similarly, domestic travel over the Labor Day weekend this year increased on Amtrak but declined on other modes.
“Amtrak is reaching capacity limits on its…inadequate fleet. Federal policy must empower Amtrak to invest in a renewed, expanded fleet. Amtrak will need at least $1.9 billion in Fiscal Year 2009 – including $100 million to repair sidelined rolling stock – to meet immediate growth needs.”
He also noted the superior energy efficiency of passenger trains—even with Amtrak’s aging fleet—and urged rapid expansion of the newly-created federal program to match state intercity passenger train investments.
The letter noted that Congress last week quickly approved putting “$8 billion of general funds into the Highway Trust Fund and now is seriously considering a huge favored lending program for the Big Three [automakers]. Surely, therefore, Congress also can increase intercity passenger train funding by $600 million in fiscal 2009 and send S. 294 to the White House.
“The highway and automaker efforts are understandable…but they reinforce dependence on energy-intensive automobiles and make it even more important for a balancing action that puts people to work building energy-efficient passenger train systems.”
The House and Senate both passed the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act, a five-year passenger rail reauthorization, by veto-proof margins. S. 294 authorizes a longer term funding framework, including more state matching grants.
The full text of the letter is available here on our website.
About NARP
NARP is the largest citizen-based organization advocating for train and rail transit passengers. We have worked since 1967 to expand the quality and quantity of passenger train service in the U.S. Our mission is to work towards a modern, customer-focused national passenger train network that provides a travel choice Americans want. Our work is supported by over 24,000 individual members.