Tell Congress: Don’t kill state-supported Amtrak!

A Congressional subcommittee recently passed a budget proposal that would effectively eliminate state-supported Amtrak service and reduce Amtrak’s operating assistance by 60%.  The United Transportation Union and other unions representing Amtrak workers have partnered with the National Association of Railroad Passengers and other groups to help educate the riding public on how disastrous this budget would be for Amtrak and its employees.

The House Committee on Appropriations, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee passed a fiscal-year 2012 budget that would prohibit the use of federal funds provided to Amtrak to fund any operating costs of state-supported trains.

Washington is one of 15 states that would be penalized for making investments in passenger rail and will likely lose service if this budget passes. The others are California, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

TAKE A STAND! — Click here to take action and send a message to Congress on this issue. Plus, download this flier and share it with your friends, family and co-workers to educate the riding public about the loss of rail service and urge them contact Congress and tell them to support increased investment in Amtrak, not cuts.

The congressional proposal comes during a year when Amtrak has served a record number of riders.

Amtrak President and Chief Executive Officer Joseph Boardman called the proposal “shortsighted,” adding, “It will result in the loss of jobs and reverses significant progress made to use passenger rail to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.”

For more information about this and other issue facing America’s rail service, visit www.narprail.org.