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SESSIONS INTRODUCES RAIL ACT Legislation will save taxpayer dollars by requiring Amtrak to eliminate money-losing routes and services
Washington, Nov 3 - U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions (R-Dallas) today announced that he introduced the Reforming Amtrak’s Inefficient Lines Act (the RAIL Act, H.R. 4214), a bill designed to cut Amtrak’s operating costs by eliminating money-losing routes and services.
Sessions, a Member of the House Budget Committee and Chairman of the Results Caucus, introduced the RAIL Actas part of his effort to trim the nation’s fiscal burden by eliminating or significantly reducing wasteful and inefficient government programs that burden American taxpayers.
“Congress has a duty to be responsible with taxpayer money,” said Sessions. “If we continue to spend it to subsidize services that do not operate efficiently, we are giving the taxpayers a raw deal.
“Instead, we should lessen the burden on taxpayers by reducing or eliminating wasteful and inefficient government spending,” Sessions continued. “One way we can do this is by eliminating routes and services on which Amtrak consistently loses money.”
In 1997, Congress passed and the President signed the Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act. The bill required Amtrak to operate without federal subsidies beginning in January 2003. Over the past 35 years, Amtrak has cost taxpayers approximately $29 billion. Today, Amtrak still relies on taxpayer subsidies to stay afloat.
In October 2004, Amtrak’s Monthly Performance Report named Amtrak’s five most money-losing trains, the Southwest Chief, the California Zephyr, the Empire Builder, the Coast Starlight, and the Silver Star. During just fiscal year (FY) 2004, these five routes accounted for losses of over $274 million.
In addition, the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General has indicated that eliminating sleeper cars, dining cars, onboard entertainment, lounge seating, checked baggage service, and food and beverage service on long distance routes could save taxpayers as much as $790 million in operating costs and $395 million in capital expenditures over five years.
Taking these findings into account, the RAIL Act will require Amtrak to lessen its dependence on American taxpayers by:
· Discontinuing service on the Southwest Chief, the California Zephyr, the Empire Builder, the Coast Starlight, and the Silver Star. · Discontinuing food and beverage service unless revenues from the service exceed its cost, including labor. · Eliminating sleeper cars, dining cars, lounge seating, checked baggage service, and onboard entertainment.
Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) joined Sessions as original co-sponsors of H.R. 4214.
Sessions has fought to trim waste at Amtrak since 2003, when he offered an amendment to FY 2004 Transportation Appropriations legislation that would have prohibited funds appropriated in the bill from being used to operate any Amtrak route that failed to generate at least 50 cents in revenue for every one dollar in cost. The House failed to agree to the amendment.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:Originally posted by SunsetLtd: Yes, to all people in along the routes mentioned. And thank goodness that the Sunset was not listed on there!
Yes to all people along any route. This act would likely eliminate sleeping car services. Strip those and eliminate any long-distane route at this point and the rest will probably fall in short order.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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Clearly a Bill put forward by a Congressman who has never ridden on a train before. Let's also suggest to him that he put up a Bill to eliminate money-losing airline routes and services Mike in Australia.
Posts: 60 | From: Ballan, Victoria, Australia | Registered: Oct 2001
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I find it interesting that none of the trains listed are in Sessions neck of the woods. Likewise the 2 people who support his bill/ If they really want to save the taxpayers monery they should start with Congress. Get rid of pork barreling, senseless overseas jaunts and all the lovely perks congress gives itself. I think I shall call his office and suggest just that.
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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I wonder if he's going to push to eliminate the $34 billion a year losing interstate road system? Get rid of those routes that do not generate enough tax revenue, Like I-70, I-40, & I-10 through the western states...
Stupid idea ya got there, Sessions...
Posts: 1418 | From: Houston, Republic of Texas | Registered: Jan 2001
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Nooooooo You can't eliminate the SW CHief Coast Starlight . Man we need to pray thatwe can have diners aboard all trains. We don't want to loose the sightseer lounge this is the best place for coach passengers and sleeper passengers to mingle.
What a f--- up society we live in if we cut the trains. My 2 cents.
Posts: 259 | Registered: Jan 2005
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Calm yourselves. This trick has been tried before and has gotten nowhere. Its just a political stunt, not a serious piece of legislation. Some Congresscritters just seem to enjoy pulling stunts more than doing the nuts and bolts work of getting things done.
quote:Originally posted by jgart56: I wonder if Sessions and the other two are up for re-election next year??? A way to show constituents that "I'm cutting the pork for you!"
I'm with Mr. Toy, we've heard this before...bill not going anywhere!
That it even has to be dealt with is disturbing though. It forces rail passenger proponents to expend their energy securing the present rather than building for the future. Even a bill 'going nowhere' is a bad thing because it keeps 'the big (rail passenger subsidy) lie' in circulation.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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It is very interesting that there's no "Transportation" category on your website's contact form. Also disheartening is that there's no "approved" way for non-Texas citizens to comment on actions of yours that affect them.
I write regarding your recent proposal to eliminate the following Amtrak routes: Southwest Chief, the California Zephyr, the Empire Builder, the Coast Starlight, and the Silver Star.
How interesting that none of these routes travel through your state, yet you are proposing to eliminate them. I don't think you'd be very pleased if a California member of Congress floated a proposal to eliminate Federal funding for the Interstate Highways that go through Texas. After all, the government doesn't exactly recover the California taxpayer dollars spent to maintain the roads out there, right?
The freight railroads wanted to get out of running money-losing passenger services over 30 years ago; that's why your predecessors in Congress decided to form Amtrak. If private industry couldn't run long distance passenger trains profitably, why hold the Federal Government to an impossible standard?
Clearly, our national security interests alone merit maintaining alternate methods of long distance transportation. And, of course, trains also serve to mobilize members of our citizenry who are otherwise unable to travel long distances, providing affordable access to the diversity in people, landscape, and culture that is our vast country.
It's hard enough to make the trains run on time in this country. Please stop trying to make things worse.
[ry] Culver City, CA
Posts: 108 | From: Culver City, CA, US | Registered: Oct 2004
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According to URPA (www.unitedrail.org), the long distance trains "still produce the lion's share of transportation output, at a very small cost. An FRA study two years ago pegged the cash cost at well-under $100 million a year, at the time, less than 8% of Amtrak's annual subsidy."
I also read on their site that the Empire Builder alone generates $11 million a year in revenue and is the best performing LD. His home state Sunset is the worst.
Could someone in Texas show up at one of Rep. Sessions' town meetings and confront him with such figures? Then ask him if he is a liar or just stupid.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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I got into an argument with my landlord over amtrak. He said "its a waste of taxpayer money to send a train out to pick up two people in the middle of nowhere". In addition to pointing out to him that such a train didnt exist, i told him to thank those "living out in the middle of nowhere" the next time he ate a steak, a piece of bread, or drank a glass of milk. Of course my landlord hasnt ridden an amtrak train in years.
Posts: 416 | From: St. Albans, Vermont | Registered: Feb 2003
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