Monday, May 12, 2008

It's Time to Reinvest in Amtrak

Amtrak gets a workout along the East Coast, but is underutilized in the rest of the country. That's about to change now that gas prices have skyrocketed and airline service in deep trouble. There's an underpublicized bill now on the floor S. 294 The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008. The funding bill costs less than $100 per family and would not only improve service, access and ammenities of existing trains but would also enable states to fund their own rail service of all kinds from high speed trains to light rail. This is an important bill. This is the best way move around the country conserving fuel and consolidating passengers. Ask your congressmember to support this bill.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The key is actually the federal match to state funding, not the direct federal funding for Amtrak.

Right now, highways cost states only 20% of their construction cost because 80% is paid for by the federal government. Train service costs a state 100%, because there is no federal match. Is it any wonder that we've overinvested in highways, and underinvested in rail. This is not just funding for rail, it's the "Remove economic distortions in the market for transportation"