Letter to the Hon Mick Mulvaney, Director of The White House Office of Management and Budget - Lowey Leads House Members in Urging Administration to Fully Fund Amtrak National Network Request in FY19 Budget

Letter

Director Mulvaney:

We are extremely concerned by the news of two recent fatal Amtrak crashes. It is clear more must be done to invest in safety improvements to our nation's rail infrastructure.

The train crashes in Crozet, VA and Cayce, SC killed three people and injured more than 100 passengers. Years of starving Amtrak's budget certainly has not helped improve rail safety in this country, but it is important to note that both of these crashes occurred on host railroad tracks that are owned and managed by a private company.

Amtrak owns 730 miles of tracks along its Northeast Corridor and Chicago to Detroit lines. The rest of its 21,300 miles of routes are operated on track owned by its National Network of partners. These private railroads must meet Amtrak's strict safety standards to ensure all of its passengers are protected by Positive Train Control (PTC) and other current safety technologies.

As you work with President Trump to finalize the Administration's Fiscal Year 2019 budget request, we urge you to fully fund Amtrak's National Network request, including funds for infrastructure to facilitate host railroad Positive Train Control. Without this funding, passengers and commerce traveling by rail will continue to be at risk.

Sincerely,