Mineta: Starving Amtrak to save it

Long Beach Press Telegram

Starving Amtrak to save it
By Norman Y. Mineta


Sometimes in government, it takes more than words to bring about change for the better. Case in point: earlier this month President Bush, frustrated that Congress had not moved on his proposed reforms to the passenger rail system, said that subsidies for Amtrak should be eliminated starting Oct. 1.

And since then, something interesting has happened: lawmakers, journalists and citizens are starting to talk seriously about the future of passenger trains in America.

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The problem is not that Americans don't use trains, it is that Amtrak has failed to keep up with times, stubbornly sticking to routes and services, even as they lose money and attract few users. This is why dozens of state and local governments are planning new investment in passenger train service. A good example is the Cascades service that connects Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, British Columbia.

The state of Washington has upgraded stations and tracks, and purchased new, higher-speed trains. It subsidizes the operating costs, while Amtrak's role is reduced to running the trains under contract. Ridership on the system has more than tripled since 1995. This is the kind of initiative that we should be helping.

Unfortunately, the federal government can do little to support such projects directly, because all of its money goes to Amtrak. Amtrak then decides how to invest those federal dollars, and in the past it has starved new initiatives to cover its operating losses.

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http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories/0,1413,204~21479~2727833,00.html#

— Norman Y. Mineta is the U.S. secretary of transportation.

Amtrak has become a sub-contracter in Washington it would appear. And guess what????? when the government runs it it starts doing well... We need to get rid of the LIE that government can't run things as well as private companies do. It is just out and out wrong.