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Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008

Date: June 11, 2008
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Transportation


PASSENGER RAIL INVESTMENT AND IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2008 -- (House of Representatives - June 11, 2008)

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Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

My amendment is very simple and straightforward. It encourages collaboration between Amtrak and local and regional commuter rail agencies on train schedules and routing in shared corridors. There are competing needs for some of these uses, and cooperation between Amtrak and others is critically important to take most advantage of our rail corridors.

Across the Nation there are multiple commuter rail transit agencies that run on the same rails as Amtrak. Many of these public transportation services have made substantial investments in the tracks and signal capacity on a rail corridor to enhance commuter rail service.

Currently, Amtrak has first right to schedule their services, which can often result in delays to commuter rail passengers and have negative impacts on the on-time performance of the commuter rails. Amtrak must work with commuter rail in a collaborative manner and in coordination with the host railroad to best facilitate an efficient flow of intercity Amtrak commuter rail passengers.

In the Puget Sound region in particular, Sound Transit has worked closely with BNSF and made a tremendous investment in the rail corridor throughout the Puget Sound region, investing more than $1 billion of public funding in the freight corridor between Tacoma and Everett, Washington. These investments represent a high price that has been paid by the region to ensure that commuter rail did not impact the freight rail operations that drive our region's economy. These investments benefit light rail, Amtrak, and of course Sound Transit's commuter rail passengers, as well as our freight rail.

This amendment does not change Amtrak's priority in setting these, it merely asks that they work cooperatively with the other parties that are interested in using these rail systems to maximize their capacity. There are a number of folks who want to make investments in improving those rail systems, and if Amtrak works cooperatively with them, those investments will work out better for all concerned.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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