"Risks" Stated in Amtrak Budget Stakes
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
AUGUSTA, Maine - As commuters head back to work after the long holiday weekend, Senator Ed Markey says budget battles in Congress are making travel in the heavily traveled Northeast rail corridor less safe.
Japan's Bullet train hurtles along at 200 miles per hour but has never had a fatal accident and Senator Markey says the same is true in France because both nations have made significant investments in railroad infrastructure. But he says Congress has left Amtrak with a $21 billion backlog in badly needed upgrades.
"Amtrak is playing a game of railway Russian Roulette where it's going to spend its limited money to install positive train control," says Markey. "They shouldn't have to choose between Baltimore and Boston, they shouldn't have to choose between Wilmington and Washington D.C."
Last week, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said it was stupid for Democrats to suggest that Republican budget cuts might have contributed to the Amtrak derailment that left eight dead near Philadelphia. Markey joined seven other Northeast Senate Democrats in calling on the Senate to fully support Amtrak's funding request.
Senator Richard Blumenthal says many of his constituents likely did some fist shaking while stuck in traffic jams over the long holiday weekend but he says fewer people would be driving if the rail system were safer and more dependable.
"I'm hoping they will direct those curses and those fists at John Boehner and the Republicans in the House that are blocking effective Amtrak transportation," says Blumenthal.
When lawmakers get back to work, the Senate Appropriations Committee has transportation on the agenda. President Obama's budget includes $500 million in capital improvement for the Northeast Corridor.
get more stories like this via email
Social Issues
By Lane Wendell Fischer for the Shasta Scout via The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service for the Public News …
Environment
By Naoki Nitta for Civil Eats.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public Ne…
Social Issues
Concerns about potential voter intimidation have spurred several states to consider banning firearms at polling sites but so far, New Hampshire is …
Environment
The construction of more solar farms in the U.S. has been contentious but a new survey shows their size makes a difference in whether solar projects …
Minnesota lawmakers are considering a measure which would force employers to properly classify certain trade union workers and others as employees rat…
Health and Wellness
By Mary Anne Franks for Ms. Magazine.Broadcast version by Alex Gonzalez for Northern Rockies News Service reporting for the Ms. Magazine-Public News …