Carper: “Raise Your Voice for Amtrak”

WASHINGTON, DC- Senator Tom Carper said today that national passenger rail service depends on active involvement from its supporters. Carper, a former member of Amtrak’s Board of Directors, said the following: “Given the demands on every budget dollar, securing $1.2 billion this year for Amtrak and securing a dedicated source of capital funding will be steep hills to climb. Many of us are willing to make that climb, but supporters of passenger rail service – including mayors, governors, and the millions of Amtrak passengers – are going to have to raise their voices for the President and the Congress to hear. Today, many voices will be heard.” Carper spoke Wednesday morning before several hundred passenger rail supporters in Washington, DC. A coalition of organizations rallied both at the Capitol and in train stations across the nation to encourage Congress to appropriate $1.2 billion to cover Amtrak’s immediate needs. Carper is a cosponsor of The National Defense Rail Act, S. 1991. The bill authorizes $1.26 billion in one-time security improvements and $4.6 billion annually for development of national passenger rail.