Interesting, Bush says eliminating Amtrak will lead to a "big bang" in developing rail corridors. Huh? How would that happen without federal money, like the fed funds that are used to build highways and airports.

NARP says a balanced approach is needed. Like short highways connect with the Interstates, the LD trains help the corridors and vice-versa.
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National Association of Railroad Passengers
900 2nd St., N.E., Suite 308, Washington, DC 20002-3557

e-mail: narp@narprail.org
web: www.narprail.org
202/408-8362, fax 202/408-8287

2006 DOT BUDGET WILL ELIMINATE ALL INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE

For Immediate Release
Monday, February 7, 2005 - #05-02
Contacts: Ross Capon, David Johnson

The Administration's Fiscal 2006 Department of Transportation budget
proposal eliminates all funding for Amtrak. The National Association of
Railroad Passengers condemns this proposal as radical and irresponsible.

It would end virtually all intercity rail passenger service in the
nation, including through service on the Northeast Corridor between
Boston, New York and Washington, D.C. This places the burden of funding
intercity passenger rail entirely on states that do not have the
financial resources to assume such an unfunded mandate.

States with limited resources would place first priority on saving the
commuter operations within their borders. The $360 million the
Administration proposes to make available directly to states may not be
sufficient to maintain even these operations much less through trains
that cross state lines. Past experience demonstrates that any
expectation of the states cooperating to fund such service is
unwarranted and unrealistic.

Administration claims that an Amtrak bankruptcy would eliminate
"inefficient operations" and lead to the emergence of a "more
rational"
passenger rail system that served routes where there is "real ridership
demand" and "support from local governments--such as the Northeast
Corridor" are false.

Clearly they are targeting Amtrak's long distance services and
misrepresenting crucial facts.

*Far from lacking demand, the long distance routes handle more
travel volume each year than the Northeast Corridor (NEC) -- nearly 30%
more than the conventional trains and five time more than Acela Express
and Metroliner.

*Far from being inefficient, the long distance network costs
less per passenger mile to operate than either of the NEC services. It
is a common misconception that the long distance trains are "money
losers" while the NEC trains are "profitable." None of them is,
including the new high speed Acela Express.

*The amount of operating support needed to operate the long
distance network is not significantly greater than it is for the NEC.

The Bush Administration misleads the public when it states that a
"restructuring" based on zero federal support "should lead to
the
development of short-corridor routes between major population centers."
On the contrary, the existing system has provided the framework and
infrastructure for the significant corridor development we have seen on
the West Coast, the Midwest, and in upstate New York.

Eliminating Amtrak would put in jeopardy many of the improvements we are
seeing, and would preclude the possibility of improvements elsewhere.
It completely disregards the nation's growing need for the rail travel
alternative.

NARP is a non-partisan organization funded by dues and contributions
from approximately 16,000 individual members. We have worked since 1967
to support improvement and expansion of passenger rail, particularly
intercity passenger rail.

I plan on sending it along with my letters to my congressmen.

Thankfully, Emmanual Cleaver, the former Kansas City mayor, is pro-Amtrak. He used to host an interview show on a local public radio station. On one of his shows, he covered Amtrak. He sounded almost like a rail advocate.

This state's senators, however, are a different matter.

Living on one side of a metropolitan area's state line and working in another gives me the opportunity to write congressional reps from both states using work and home addresses.

quote:

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Originally posted by MOKSRail:
However, writing the senators of that small farm state is almost like wasting your time. Like President Bush, you can't change their minds.

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