Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2007--Continued

Floor Speech

PASSENGER RAIL INVESTMENT AND IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2007--Continued -- (Senate - October 30, 2007)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, as ranking member of Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, I rise to speak in the support of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2007. This bill reflects several years of work by Senators Lautenberg, Lott, myself and many others to reform our Nation's passenger rail system.

Over the 6-year life of the bill, Amtrak's operating subsidy is reduced by 40 percent through cost cutting, restructuring, and reform. This bill authorizes funding for Amtrak's capital and operating needs to maintain current operations, upgrade equipment, and return the Northeast Corridor to a state of good repair.

While I know that there are some who argue that this bill does not go far enough, I do believe that it is a step in the right direction. In particular, I believe that the State-Amtrak partnerships outlined in this bill--with respect to both the cost allocation and capital match--will be key to ensuring the long-term viability and growth in ridership of intercity passenger rail.

I have long advocated for the establishment of an equitable system for States to pay their fair share toward the operating costs related to Amtrak corridor routes. In the Northwest, Amtrak operates the Amtrak Cascades, which provides daily service between Eugene, OR and Vancouver, British Columbia. This service is supported through operating funds provided by the States of Oregon and Washington.

With almost 700,000 riders last year, the Amtrak Cascades is the seventh most heavily traveled corridor in the country and represents a model for partnership among States, Amtrak, freight railroads and local communities. Currently, however, Oregon is one of only 14 States that provide operating funds to support and maintain Amtrak's service. This bill would help change that.

On the capital side, this bill encourages States to get more involved with our national passenger rail system by creating a new State Capital Grant program for intercity passenger rail capital projects.

The program makes grants to a State, or a group of States, to pay for the capital costs of facilities and equipment necessary to provide new or improved intercity passenger rail. The Federal match is 80 percent. Providing States with this option will be a valuable tool to assist them in their transportation planning.

Across the country and across all transportation modes, congestion is becoming more and more of a problem, and, unfortunately, it is only going to get worse. Increasing the use of passenger rail, particularly within more densely populated corridors such as the Cascades corridor I mentioned earlier, should be part of our national strategy to fight congestion.

It should be noted that intercity and commuter passenger railroads are one of the cleanest forms of transportation. On a per passenger mile, Amtrak is 17 percent more energy efficient that domestic airline travel and 21 percent more efficient than auto travel.

Finally, I want to talk quickly about ridership and financial performance. In fiscal year 2007, Amtrak ridership increased to 25,847,000, marking the fifth straight year of gains and setting a record for the most passengers using Amtrak since its creation in 1971.

Additionally, total ticket revenue for the fiscal year topped $1.5 billion, up 11 percent over the previous fiscal year.

More people are using Amtrak today than ever before, and given the transportation capacity constraints our country will face in the coming years, I believe it would be a mistake if we didn't make the investments now--in both time and money--to try to reform the system to ensure that passenger trains are a viable transportation alternative in the future.

I don't believe that this is a perfect bill, but I do believe that it is a step in the right direction, and I hope my colleagues will support it.

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