Don't you know me?

"There is not a transportation
mode in the US, or anywhere
in the world really, that isn't
subsidized in some way....
Rail is the least subsidized to the point of ridiculousness."

-U.S. Senator
Kay Bailey Hutchison
(R-Texas)

America,

Trains are the most fuel efficient form of transportation and the least environmentally damaging.

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Passenger trains can operate safely under weather conditions that bring airports and highways to a standstill.

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Rail lines are the least expensive transportation systems to build and maintain.

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One railroad track costs about one fifth as much to build as a single highway lane, but can carry substantially more people and goods.

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In FY 2005 Amtrak carried a record 25.4 million passengers, the equivalent of 348 fully loaded Boeing 757-200 jetliners every day.

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Amtrak consumes less energy per passenger mile than any other mode of transportation, even beating motorcycles by a slim margin
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Interstate rail technology in the United States hasn’t seen significant improvements since the days of two-lane intercity highways and piston engined airliners.

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High-speed bullet trains were introduced in Japan in 1964.

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In 1964 most passenger trains in the United States were going out of business.

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Don't you know me?

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Congress formed Amtrak in 1971 to save America’s passenger trains.

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France's high speed TGV trains entered service in 1981.

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The first and only high speed train in the United States, the Acela between Washington DC and Boston, was not introduced until 2000.

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In the 1940s America’s passenger trains routinely ran as fast as 90-110 miles per hour.

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Because of track conditions most Amtrak trains outside the Northeast Corridor are limited to 79 miles per hour.

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Airlines, private motorists, bus lines, trucking companies, and shipping companies all use publicly owned and financed infrastructures.

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Railroads provide their own infrastructure entirely at their own expense.

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Industry experts say that the railroads do not have sufficient capital to meet increasing track capacity demands for the next 20 years.

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Airports, highways and waterways are owned by public agencies that do not pay property taxes.

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Railroads pay property taxes on tens of thousands of miles of right of way.

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Since 1980 railroads have taken 37% of their tracks out of service.

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Since 1980 railroad freight has increased 64%.

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I'm Your Native Son,

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Amtrak pays fees to private freight railroads for access to the tracks, and offers additional incentive payments if the trains run on time.

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Amtrak trains are frequently delayed by freight traffic.

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European and Japanese trains consistently run on time.

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Air traffic control is provided by the federal government at taxpayer expense.

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Railroad traffic is controlled and paid for by private freight companies or (in the Northeast Corridor) by Amtrak.

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State Police who patrol highways are funded by taxpayers.

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Amtrak has its own police force that is funded with ticket revenue.

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European countries spend 15%-20% of their transportation budgets on passenger trains.

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About 1% of the US transportation budget is spent on passenger trains.

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Amtrak’s critics in Congress say Amtrak’s funding is excessive.

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Congress spends more money to spread salt on icy roads than it spends on Amtrak‘s entire national system.

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Since 1980, measured in constant dollars, federal highway spending has more than doubled, aviation spending has tripled, but rail spending has been reduced by 27%.

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A 1997 Gallup poll showed that 69% of Americans want the federal government to continue funding for Amtrak.

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A December 2000 survey conducted for the U.S. Conference of Mayors showed 82% of Americans believe the federal government has ample resources to fund Amtrak.

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An August 2002 Washington Post poll showed 71% of Americans support federal funding for Amtrak.

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A 2006 Harris poll showed that the public prefers commuter trains and long distance trains as their top two choices for transportation service expansion.

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Airport and highway projects are eligible for federal grants of 80% provided the states put up 20%.

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In most cases, states must pay 100% for rail projects with no federal funding. The only exception is in Amtrak's Northeast Corridor where Amtrak funds 100% and the states fund 0%.

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Most states outside the Northeastern US choose to build highways and airports instead of railways. California is one of the few exceptions.

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Three-fourths of Amtrak's subsidies go into 7 states served by the Northeast Corridor trains, while the rest of the national rail network gets the remaining one-fourth.

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Amtrak's 15 long distance trains are often characterized as the company's largest financial drain. In fact, however, they generate 54% of Amtrak's passenger miles while requiring only 18% of its subsidies.

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Amtrak's allegedly "profitable" Northeast Corridor generates 33% of Amtrak's passenger miles while consuming 76% of its subsidies.

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Aviation and highways have a reliable source of funding through dedicated trust funds which remain fairly consistent from year to year.

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Amtrak is funded through the general fund and is subject to the political winds of the annual approproations process.

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Althought Amtrak is one of the smaller spending items in the federal budget, Congress spends a disproportionate amount of time debating its funding every year without ever making any substantive changes. This has been the routine for over 37 years!

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