Senator Lautenberg Introduces Senate Resolution To Celebrate National Train Day

On Eve of Amtrak's Nationwide Celebration, Resolution Highlights Passenger Rail's Critical and Growing Role in Serving America's Travel Needs

May 9, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced a bipartisan resolution to celebrate Amtrak’s first annual National Train Day.

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Amtrak trains in Chicago: Photo by Steven Vance (CC)

The resolution, joined by 20 co-sponsors, raises awareness about the critical and growing role that passenger rail plays in serving America’s daily travel needs.

“With skyrocketing gas prices and long lines at the airports, record numbers of passengers are choosing to travel by train,” Sen. Lautenberg said. “Train travel is not just easy and convenient, it’s energy-efficient, protects our environment and reduces our reliance on foreign oil. I hope Americans from across the country celebrate National Train Day and learn more about the benefits of passenger rail.”

For fiscal year 2007, a record 25.8 million passengers rode Amtrak, an increase of 1.5 million passengers over fiscal year 2006. With the increased congestion in the nation’s airports and on its highways, passenger rail is a vital alternative for intercity travel throughout the country. Amtrak trains are also more 17 percent more energy-efficient than airlines and 21 percent more than cars and truck, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, which helps preserve our environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“The vital role rail plays in our nation’s transportation system is becoming increasingly more evident with ridership at record levels,” said Amtrak President & CEO Alex Kummant. “From our nation’s smallest towns to its largest cities, more and more Americans are choosing to travel by train.”

Amtrak designed National Train Day to inform more Americans about the vital role of passenger rail in our nation’s transportation system. Six weeks of events, promotions and advertising are culminating on Saturday, May 10, 2008 at the railroad’s largest stations—Washington, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles—along with events in more than eighty communities.

Last October, the Senate overwhelmingly passed an $11.4 billion bill introduced by Sen. Lautenberg and former Senator Trent Lott to fully fund Amtrak and modernize and expand the U.S. passenger rail system. The bipartisan Lautenberg-Lott plan would authorize infrastructure improvements and the expansion of rail routes into new American towns and cities over the next six years. The bill is now being considered by the House of Representatives.

Source: Senator Frank R. Lautenberg