House Passes Bill with Midwest High-Speed Rail, Amtrak Boost

U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette (R-Bainbridge Township) said the House has passed a major rail safety bill that clears the path for construction of high-speed rail in the Midwest and Northeast and also gives Amtrak a funding boost.

The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, H.R. 2095, passed in the House last night by voice vote, meaning no recorded vote was necessary. LaTourette, a senior member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and former chairman of the House Rail Subcommittee, said the bill gives "high-speed rail the boost it needs."

The bill, for the first time, would allow private companies to develop high-speed rail lines in 11 federally designated corridors in the United States, including the Midwest and the Northeast Corridor. LaTourette said companies will be permitted to bid alongside Amtrak with the Secretary of Transportation on plans to develop, construct and operate the lines. The bill authorizes $5 million for preliminary engineering for each corridor's winning proposal, LaTourette said.

"This is a seismic change in the way Washington has approached high-speed rail. We are finally going to open the door to private development and I think we could see high-speed rail corridors in the country in the next five years," LaTourette said. "You could whiz down to Columbus at 110 miles per hour."

He said the Midwest rail plan, also known as the Chicago Midwest Hub, was devised many years ago by several states. As planned and designated by the Federal Rail Administration (FRA), the Hub links Cleveland to Columbus and Cincinnati, and a second Ohio line would link Cleveland to Toledo, and ultimately to Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis. The participating states are Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Missouri.

In addition, the bill will study the feasibility of linking Cleveland to the Keystone Corridor, which is another FRA designated corridor. The Keystone corridor could link Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. LaTourette said the former Secretary of Transportation formally approved the extension of several high-speed rail corridors in 2000, including the "3C" corridor - Cleveland to Columbus to Cincinnati.

The measure also contains provisions on a new technology called "positive train control" that can engage the brakes if a train misses a signal or goes off-track. It could be required by 2015 for passenger rail and freight lines carrying hazardous materials, he said.

The rail bill approved yesterday also addressed Amtrak funding. It authorizes nearly $13 billion for Amtrak over five years and $1.6 billion for rail safety provisions. LaTourette said Congress has not passed a multi-year spending bill for Amtrak since the last one expired in 2002, and Amtrak has been hobbling each year with budget uncertainty. He said this bill roughly doubles Amtrak's funding.

LaTourette said soaring gas prices have caused Amtrak's ridership to reach record levels.
"With Americans facing high gas prices and looking for alternatives to spending $80 to fill up the tank, we need a healthy Amtrak to ease the burden," LaTourette said.

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