Capon Calls for Full Funding of Amtrak in Statement to Senate Appropriations Committee

July 27, 2009

The Honorable Patty Murray, Chair
Subcomm. on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Senate Committee on Appropriations

Dear Madam Chairman:

The Association strongly urges full funding of the PRIIA authorization for Amtrak: $580 million for operations (not including the Amtrak Inspector General), $975 million for capital and $260 million for debt service. 

Regarding the operating grant, Secretary LaHood’s May comment on use of Recovery Act funds for transit operating support is relevant: “I think it’s a little bit silly to provide all of this money to transit districts to buy new buses if you can’t afford to have drivers and employees to use the equipment.”

As one informed observer wrote to me, “The House appropriations bill reported out of committee, for its fireworks on HSR, gave short shrift to Amtrak.”  All the HSR capital in the world will not be appreciated if stringent funding restrictions on Amtrak translate into service reductions or the inability to do even modest service expansion.

The law also authorized necessary sums for Amtrak ADA compliance.  Amtrak’s $144 million request for FY 2010 ADA work assumes a “common sense” interpretation of ADA; Amtrak has said ADA compliance costs “would more than double” if DOT introduced (unwisely, in our view) a “rule requiring standardized platform heights and the provision of full length platforms for level boarding.”  Our extensive July 28, 2006, submission to U.S. DOT (Docket OST-2006-23985) generally agrees with what Amtrak, private railroads and commuter railroad agencies said in this matter.

Thank you very much for considering our views.

Sincerely,
Ross B. Capon
President and CEO