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A History of Subsidized U.S. Transportation:

"The airline business, from the time of Wilbur and Orville Wright through 1991, made zero money net."  - Warren Buffett - America's most successful investor    -  Chicago Tribune, 10/21/01

Airlines & highways have dedicated sources of federal funding: gasoline and ticket taxes.  Until rail gets its own lifeline – like an extra penny of federal gasoline tax, which would bring in more than $1 billion a year - Amtrak may have to continue fighting for table scraps.               -   Time Magazine 11/25/01

The nation's highway system, another money-losing operation, receives $33 billion a year in federal funds -- 63 times as much as Amtrak’s $521 million.

“The federal government spends on highways because it realizes that maintaining road infrastructure is serious business. Yet it treats requests for rail infrastructure improvement as if they're a joke.”   -Baltimore Sun, 1-18-02

$329 billion                            U.S. highway construction 1960-2000

$  33 billion                            Commercial aviation funding, 2001

$  26 billion                            Amtrak funding 1971-2002

The Interstate highway system, funded 90% by the federal government, is considered the world’s largest public works program.

Boston’s “Big Dig” 25-year expressway rebuilding project has cost $10.8 billion – much more than Amtrak’s average yearly $500 million federal funding.

Amtrak funding promised but never delivered:

Congress authorized $5.2 billion 1997-2002 in the Amtrak Reform Act of 1997 but provided only $2.8 bill., a 54% cut.

The “user fees” paid for Amtrak, a publicly-owned carrier operating over privately-owned facilities, the fares paid by passengers, amounting to $1 billion per year, cover 80% of its costs and are comparable to other modes.

State rail investments:

Since 1996, 21 states have invested $1 billion in intercity rail projects in conjunction with Amtrak.  Illinois is helping finance a $400 million high-speed link between Chicago and St. Louis.  If Congress would provide matching funds, states would have added incentive to invest. In high-density parts of the Midwest, Florida, Texas and the West Coast, intercity rail could gain 20- 30% of the travel market-- as Amtrak has 40% in the Northeast Corridor. – Time Magazine

Importance of Rail Travel:

Without Amtrak there would be an additional 7,500 fully booked 757 airplanes crowding the U.S. skies. 

- American Passenger Rail Coalition,  www.aprc.org

If Amtrak were an airline, in terms of passengers carried, its 23.5 million would rank 8^th, behind Continental (47 mill.) but ahead of America West (20 mill.) and American Eagle (11 mill).

Amtrak serves more cities and towns than any single airline.

Railroad disinvestments hurt society.

Highways suffer when rail lines are abandoned. In one state, more than 1,100 miles of track have been removed since 1990.  The loss of one train shipment adds 350 semi-trailer loads to roads.  Overlaying one mile of highway is 15 times more expensive than maintaining one mile of railroad. – H.R. 3081, the Short Line Railroad Preservation Act, 11/01

Passenger trains are friendly to the environment:

Trains create far less pollution than highways and airports. Using existing rail lines and rights of way, valuable farmland, wildlife areas, parks and neighborhoods are preserved.

Sources: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Center for Transportation Analysis.

A fully-occupied rail car is 15 times greater in fuel efficiency than the average commuter's automobile. A 10% nationwide increase in transit ridership would save 135 million gallons of gasoline per year.

Mobility:         

Trains serve the non-car owners, the elderly, handicapped and those who simply prefer train travel. Trains also provide important transportation to many communities without air service.

Comfort:         

Passenger rail coach seats provide plenty of leg and arm room, room to roam, opportunities to read, work, rest, eat real meals and visit with others against a backdrop of continually changing scenery.

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