Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010
TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2010 -- (House of Representatives - July 23, 2009)
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of the Fiscal 2010 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Act. This bill takes great strides to help the neediest Americans secure shelter in trying economic times. It also makes important investments in strong and user-friendly transportation systems, including our highways, airports, passenger rail lines, and transit networks.
But I particularly want to thank Chairmen OBEY and OLVER for including in this bill $150 million to fund vitally needed capital and preventive maintenance improvements for the Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority, in accordance with legislation we passed last year authorizing $1.5 billion for WMATA over the next 10 years. It has long been clear that America's Subway deserves a strong federal commitment. After all, it serves the millions of visitors who come to visit our nation's capital, and it is the primary public transportation system servicing the federal employees who keep our government running. But with a ridership that continues to grow, WMATA's General Manager made it clear that the system requires more than $11 billion in capital improvements from 2011 to 2020 to keep running. Without those funds, the system's aging infrastructure will continue to deteriorate.
The bill includes language directing WMATA to use the funds to first address immediate safety shortfalls identified by the National Transportation Safety Board, which include, but are not limited to, the improved crashworthiness of the agency's rail car fleet and the maintenance and modernization of WMATA's signal and automatic train control systems. The importance of those systems was vividly and painfully demonstrated in last month's Metro crash, which took the lives of nine commuters. For the sake of all those who rely on Metro, we must ensure that its safety meets the highest standard.
I urge my colleagues to support this strong appropriations bill and make clear our commitment to the efficiency and safety of America's Subway.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source