Date: 2008-09-24
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Madam. Speaker and Members of the House. first of all I want to thank Chairman OBERSTAR for his leadership on this issue of transportation. He is truly the guru of transportation. and the country appreciates his leadership. And thanks to Ranking Members MICA and SHUSTER. I guess the pledge of serving in Congress is serving on transportation. because transportation is truly bipartisan. This is truly a monumental day for America. and I am so pleased to be a part of it. If you are worrying about energy prices and the economy. this bill is a onetwo punch. Passenger and freight rail are energy efficient. providing good jobs that cant be shipped overseas and transporting thousands of people and tons of cargo each day in a safe and efficient manner. and all of this without drilling off the coast. Let me repeat. If you are worried about $4 and $5 gas prices. passenger and freight rail are energy efficient. provide good jobs that cant be shipped overseas and transport thousands of people and tons of cargo each day in a safe and efficient manner. Rising gas prices alone. with increased highway and airport congestion. have made intercity passenger rail more popular and necessary than ever. In fiscal year 2007. Amtrak carried more than 25.8 million passengers. the fifth straight fiscal year of record ridership. Like its ridership gains. Amtraks fiscal performance has improved as well. posting approximately $1.5 billion in ticket sales. More than just a convenient way to travel. Amtrak is a greener mode of transportation. One full passenger train can take between 250 to 350 cars off the road. Rail travel is more energy efficient and uses less fuel than cars or airplanes. According to the U.S. Department of Energy data. Amtrak is 17 percent more efficient than domestic air travel and 21 percent more efficient than auto travel. Unfortunately. for many years Amtrak has been given just enough money each year to limp along. never getting the necessary funds to make serious improvements in the system. The high voltage electric system is over 70 years old. 65 percent of the bridges were built in the 1920s. and several tunnels that the trains go through every year were built in the 1800s. In 2005. Amtrak conducted a comprehensive review of its capital needs. The review determined that Amtrak should invest $4.2 billion to bring their infrastructure to a state of good repair. Today. with the backlog of major bridges and tunnel work. the necessary investment capital has approached an estimated $6 billion. As other countries continue to invest tens of billions of dollars each year in improving their passenger rail systems. we are falling further and further behind by deferring these muchneeded improvements to our system. We must find a way to speed up Amtraks backlog of repair work and bring its assets to a state of good repair. Then Amtrak can concentrate on increasing capacity. increasing speed. developing new facilities and planning for the future. These major infrastructure improvements are also necessary to improve the safety and security of the system and its passengers and workers. Amtrak has and will continue to play a critical role in evacuating and transporting citizens during national emergencies. Amtrak was the only mode of transportation out of New York following 9/11. and transported citizens and delivered vital supplies following Hurricane Katrina. Unfortunately. it is also a prime target for those who wish to harm us. and we must provide resources to make the system less vulnerable. This legislation also includes vital railroad safety legislation that will improve the effectiveness of freight rail systems. and. most important. will help save the lives of rail employees and the people living in the communities they serve. Freight railroads are also energy efficient and have made major gains in fuel efficiency through training and improved locomotive technology. A single intermodal train can take up to 280 trucks off of our highways. Today. one gallon of diesel fuel can move a ton of freight an average of 414 miles. a 76 percent improvement since 1980. Since the beginning of the 110th Congress. the Railroad Subcommittee has held five hearings on rail safety. examined fatigue. human factors and rail accidents. and current Federal safety programs. In addition to the subcommittees hearing. we met with all of our stakeholders. including labor. the railroads. government agencies and other interested parties to craft this legislation. The bill seeks to help prevent accidents caused by human factors. which account for 40 percent of all rail accidents. by strengthening the hoursofservice laws. decreasing limbo time. increasing worker training and qualifications. and implementing advanced safety technology. It requires the Secretary of Transportation to develop a longterm strategy for improving railroad safety at railroad crossings by improving visibility and making it easier to report problems.