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An interesting exchange on the Sunset East in a Congressional hearing on rail capacity:
Subcommittee Chair Corrine Brown (D-FL) pressed Kummant on the continuing lack of service east of New Orleans along the Sunset Limited route, nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina. Kummant said, “I don’t really see any way to bring back service at this point, with the infrastructure, and there’s no budget for it...It was never very effective service, going through these towns in the middle of the night, three times a week, always late...We’re putting all our energy into corridor discussions in Florida, and we think that corridor service to Mobile could be a good model.”
Brown retorted, “I will continue to provide a lot of pain for you in that area. It’s not just transportation, it’s homeland security, it’s safety. The train could exist to get people out of harm’s way. Of course it wasn’t a good service. We have to work innovatively. We need to work with the communities like New Orleans to create a service that works. It could be a New Orleans-Orlando train with better timing. I wish you would go back to the drawing table and come up with something.” Kummant said, “I understand.”
dixiefbreeze Member # 7454
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Never thought I'd agree with Corrine Brown on anything, but she's right on this.
Amtrak207 Member # 1307
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Here's my attempt at posting a link to the hearing video. Keep in mind I only sort of know what I am doing, and have had issues with this in the past. You'll need to copy the address into the address bar/file opening dialogue box of a player capable of handling streaming audio.
As always, you cannot fast-forward or skip the disclaimer at the beginning. Since the hearing is two hours long, use this twenty-five minute spot to get something to drink. Exciting highlights:
1:54- I think SAFETEA-LU is one of the stupidest acronyms I've ever heard. It sounds like a port-a-john marketing initiative or a contrived parody of a Men Without Hats song.
2:07- Where is the future of ground transportation?
2:58- Say it like you mean it!
12:50- Why commuters switch to trains, by Mr. Dale Zehner of VRE
15:35 to 24:16- Testimony by Mr. Alexander Kummant, Prez/CEO, Amtrak
25:50- Mentos?
27:39- That's a lot of trucks. I'd like to hear a similar statistic on how many personal automobiles could be taken off congested freeways and interstates should the 100+ passenger cars laid up at Beech Grove, Bear, and Wilmington be returned to service with Amtrak or commuter rail carriers.
33:30- Don't forget South Dakota!
1:09:55- Discussion of freight penalties for passenger train dispatching delays
1:13:10- That's a bit of a twist.
1:24:32- HSR question
1:27:45- When's the last time you heard 435 miles per gallon?
1:28:05- "No one is safe when we're in session."
1:30:25- Single-word answer.
1:46:17- A question is posed to Mr. Kummant of what ways Amtrak delays attributed to host railroad switching and dispatching are prosecuted.
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