The U.S. Senate voted to
provide the Amtrak passenger rail system with the $1.2 billion it
says it needs this fiscal year, averting what system officials
said was a possible shutdown of service this spring.
By voice vote, the Senate adopted an amendment to a domestic
spending bill that boosts funding for Amtrak to $1.2 billion from
$762 million. Senator Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, said
failure to provide the full funding would have consequences for
travelers.
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“They will stop their trains and they will shut their
doors,” she said.
Amtrak, whose ridership outside the Northeast fell 4 percent
in the latest fiscal year, has been struggling financially and
working to boost its ridership. Earlier this month, Amtrak
announced it would cut fares at least 25 percent and introduced a
2-for-1 travel promotion to boost the number of riders on long-
distance trains.
Amtrak’s debt has tripled to $4.4 billion in five years and
it had a record $1.2 billion loss in the fiscal year ended Sept.
30, 2001.
The Bush administration has not sided with Amtrak Chief
Executive David Gunn’s call for $1.2 billion in funding. Bush
requested $521 million for the passenger rail system this fiscal
year. In the House, Representative Hal Rogers, a Kentucky
Republican who chairs the appropriations panel that funds Amtrak,
has been a key critic, arguing the system hasn’t been held
accountable for poor management.
Bloomberg News
