Letter to William Flynn, President and CEO of the Federal Railroad Administration - Soto Inquires About Central Florida Amtrak Route Reductions

Letter

Dear Mr. Flynn:

I write this letter today to inquire about the recently proposed reduction of Amtrak's long-distance
service starting in October and the newly reduced service on the Silver Star (trains 91 and 92) and
the Silver Meteor (trains 97 and 98). I fear that reductions in these routes will impact tourism to
my district, making recovery from this pandemic even more difficult so I am asking you if these
route changes are permanent and if there are more proposed reductions to routes or inventory.

According to the most recent state statistics, Florida had a 9.7% drop in domestic travel from
January to March 2020; a drop likely to increase once the figures for the second quarter of 2020
are published. With a local economy based in tourism and hospitality, my district currently faces a
30% unemployment rate. Many of my constituents want to safely return to work so I am proud to
see our major attractions open with proper precautions, matching Amtrak's commitment to new
standards with enhanced safety and cleaning measures for travelers' safety and peace of mind.

In early March, we hosted a roundtable with Chair Peter DeFazio of the US Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure discussing the Invest In America Act which triples the current
funding to Amtrak by $29 million for the next 5 years. Our commuter rail, SunRail has completed
four years of service and will soon open a new 17.2-mile expansion. I hope that these proposed
service reductions are temporary, and Amtrak service will further boost our economic recovery by
providing transportation choices for the millions of visitors coming to Central Florida each year.

Thank you for your time and consideration to this matter.

Sincerely,

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