September 25, 2001
Editorial: Trains Need Help, Too
Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company

Stranded travelers made a fortuitous discovery when the airlines shut down
after the terrorist attacks: The country still has an intercity rail system.
Amtrak scrambled to provide additional service to accommodate the surge in
demand. In the Washington-New York corridor, Amtrak's stylish new high-speed
Acela Express trains are especially busy because of the continued shutdown
of Washington's Reagan National Airport.

Congress has acted admirably to help the troubled airlines. But it should
also make a commitment to improve passenger rail. Amtrak, which receives
about 1 percent of all federal transportation spending, needs an immediate
infusion of cash to beef up security throughout its system and to accelerate
much-needed capital improvements along the Northeast corridor, where its
fast trains are hampered by antique infrastructure.

Congress must also adopt a more sensible long-term strategy. For three
decades it has grudgingly subsidized Amtrak, spending enough money to keep
it alive but never enough to build an attractive service. Also, Amtrak is
required to serve many communities where it does not make a profit, even
while facing a Congressional mandate that it become self-sufficient by the
end of 2002.

Despite these obstacles, Amtrak had been posting record ridership levels
before the attacks, in part because travelers were frustrated by airport
congestion. Congressional support for high-speed train service in designated
corridors across the country had also been growing. Congress should now
focus on investing in economically viable high-speed service in heavily
traveled markets, and create a dedicated rail trust fund for Amtrak like the
funds that pay for highway and aviation infrastructure projects.

The need for high-speed trains serving shorter routes extends beyond the
Northeast to the Midwest, Texas and California. The Pacific Northwest from
Portland to Vancouver is already benefiting from improved service. And
Florida's voters last year gave a green light to developing new high-speed
links between the state's largest cities.

Air travel is still projected to grow in the long run, intensifying
gridlock. The current slowdown should not blind Congress to the need to
upgrade the passenger rail system.
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