FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Cliff Black, 202 906-3860
ATK-03-026
February 14, 2003

AMTRAK STATEMENT ON FY03 OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS BILL

WASHINGTON - As part of legislation passed by Congress last night, Amtrak will receive a $1.05 billion operating and capital grant for Fiscal Year 2003. Additionally, repayment of the $100 million U.S. DOT loan from June 28,2002, is deferred. Amtrak's $1.2 billion request for the fiscal year was predicated upon projected revenue levels ant tight controls on spending. The amount appropriated by Congress only reinforces that sustaining Amtrak operations will be an ongoing challenge. Though the budget will be extremely tight, this funding level should be sufficient to operate the national system for the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends September 30,2003.

Amtrak will continue to bring greater levels of efficiency to its operations without degrading the levels of service to our customers and the safety we provide to our customers and employees.

Amtrak and the DOT must now immediately work to expeditiously establish grant procedures so that the funding and operations of the national passenger railroad system continue uninterrupted.

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