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Gunn on Amtrak: Here come the Train Offs

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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by jhhtrainsplanes Hey L C Perhaps the time has come for an Amendment to the Constitution to fund a National Rail Passenger Service (Amtrak). What do you think about this? I, for one, would support it. I know the freight railroads probally would not like it. But the government funded many of the original railroads by land grant so it would be fair to ask for a little something back. Of course the passenger side should help pay for some of the expenses for running on fright railroads. But having a better passenger rail system could be part of a national energy program, and that is something this country desperately needs. [/quote] Jim - While I don't disagree with the sentiment, I also am not sure that a Constitutional Amendment would be the way to go given the constraints and long time horizons inherent in that process. Besides, I think that Sen. Lott and others have the Congress motivated to do what is necessary to fund Amtrak at a sustainable level. At this point the problem seems to be more that Bush and Mineta have decided to dismantle Amtrak and firing Gunn was a way of halting progess now that Congress has agreed to provide the money. (As a side note, the House conferees have now been instructed to accept the Senate's $11+Billion funding proposal for the final bill.) If you haven't already, you should consider the proposal by former Amtrak President Paul Reistrup (who was later a V.P. at CSX) for the privatization of Amtrak. What is happening now is almost a page from that text. For a look at his ideas, they are mentioned at length in this months (Dec) under the Capitol Lines column on page 28. Essentially, he is favoring the split infrastructure and operating company model. Given Reistrup's history in the industry and connections to CSX (can you say "Snow"?) I can't help but wonder if he might be involved in efforts to start a private firm to take over the operations once Bush has put the nail in Amtraks coffin. Food for thought... LC
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