Roviding for Consideration of H.R. 6003, Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008

ROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 6003, PASSENGER RAIL INVESTMENT AND IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2008 -- (House of Representatives - June 10, 2008)

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Mr. ARCURI. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Oberstar, Chairwoman Brown, and Ranking Members Mica and Shuster for their bipartisan leadership on the Amtrak legislation we will consider today, and as they showed yesterday in the Rules Committee, for their passionate advocacy on behalf of this great bill.

There has been much discussion about the condition of our Nation's transportation system and the growing pressures it faces from all sides: skyrocketing costs of fuel and maintenance; increased congestion from growing demand; and global climate change.

H.R. 6003 will take tremendous strides toward addressing these pressures by continuing our commitment to Amtrak and passenger rail service. Maintenance costs will continue to hinder us, but expanding and improving passenger rail service has the potential to relieve congestion both on our highways and in the skies by offering passengers a viable alternative. A shift toward rail can reduce the harmful CO

2 emissions generated by the transportation system.

For too long Amtrak has been the symbol of partisan politics in Washington. If we are to have a robust and successful system that users can rely on, then we must make a bipartisan commitment to supporting Amtrak. We cannot waiver on this commitment and expect to keep pace with the national rail systems of other developed countries around the world.

Partisan bickering has hurt Amtrak's overall state of repair. In fact, the Department of Transportation's inspector general concluded that, ``Despite multiple efforts over the years to change Amtrak's structure and funding, we have a system that limps along, is never in a state of good repair, awash in debt, and perpetually on the edge of collapse.'' That must change.

Amtrak's maintenance backlog is a major impediment to its success. In recent years, Amtrak's ridership has grown at a modest but continuing rate, and Amtrak's on-time performance has declined down to an on-time arrival rate of 67.8 percent.

The Department of Transportation's inspector general has stated that Amtrak's continued deferral of maintenance increases the risk of a major failure on its system. Currently, Amtrak has an estimated $6 billion in backlogged capital maintenance needs, including $4 billion on the Northeast Corridor, its most profitable line.

I would gladly take the train home to my Upstate New York district, or from my home in Utica to New York City, but currently that is not a viable option because of the minimal Amtrak service. And even when there is service available, it is unreliable. Deferred track maintenance, especially in Upstate New York, has required lowering the speed limits on significant portions of the track. In addition, competition with freight carriers for priority on tracks causes Amtrak trains to become seriously delayed, to the point where train schedules are simply unreliable. The on-time arrival rate between Albany and Buffalo is a mere 42 percent, meaning that less than half of the trains arrive on time.

Unfortunately, for hardworking Americans, passenger rail is the only option for travel because of record high fuel prices, making air and car travel less viable.

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