By Ron Thaniel and Brian Gould
February 3, 2003

Chairing the Amtrak Mayors' Advisory Council Meeting with Co-Chair, Macon (GA) Mayor Jack Ellis, Dearborn Mayor Michael A. Guido noted. "Even as my city celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Ford Motor Company, we recognize that passenger rail is vital to our economic security. I have a vested interest in seeing the success of passenger rail. Last year, over 52,000 people took the train in and out of Dearborn — the second highest ridership in the state, after Ann Arbor."

Mayor Guido added that the upcoming debate on surface transportation reauthorization is an important opportunity. "We don't want to miss our chance to include passenger rail in this discussion and we will need to remain vigilant in this cause," he said.

Co-Chair Macon Mayor Jack Ellis stated that he has met with newly-elected Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue to press how important Amtrak is and his desire to have Amtrak service to Macon.

Meridian Mayor John Robert Smith, Chairman of the Amtrak Board, said, "we want to thank the mayors, in general, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, in particular, for their continued dedication and support of Amtrak. David Gunn is here today to give us straight talk. He's perfect for the job because he doesn't sugar coat news; he-ll tell us the truth, even if it's not particularly rosy."

Conference Transportation Chair Fort Worth Mayor Kenneth L. Barr said, "Amtrak not only strengthens our national economy, it serves as a catalyst to enhance local economic development."

"In Fort Worth, we built a Downtown Intermodal Center to meet the demand for increased rail and bus services. The Intermodal Center connects Amtrak, the Trinity Railway Express, our commuter rail between Fort Worth and Dallas, our intercity buses, and will eventually, link our proposed light rail systems," said Mayor Barr.

Thanking David Gunn for his promise to maintain the national Amtrak system, Mayor Barr told David Gunn "Amtrak is a central component of our multimodal transportation plan."

David Gunn thanking the mayors for their support recalled last summer's near shutdown of the national system stating, "I really can't believe anyone wants to go through what we went through last summer for a couple hundred million bucks."

"We almost bought the farm," said Gunn. Amtrak came close to shutting down in July because of a budget crisis that was averted by a $100 million loan guarantee from the Transportation Department and a $205 million appropriation from Congress.

Outlining what he has called Amtrak myths, David Gunn highlighted six myths about Amtrak:

• Amtrak can be profitable. No national passenger rail system in the world has operated profitably without substantial government infrastructure support.
• The private sector is dying to take over Amtrak services. Amtrak was created because the private sector could not make money on passenger rail.
• Long distance trains are the problem. Amtrak's federal request is $1.2 billion, of which $300 million is for the long distance trains.
• Amtrak is a featherbed for labor. Amtrak employees get paid less than the industry average — less than freight employees and less than transit employees.
• The Northeast Corridor is profitable. The northeast Corridor can pay for its operations but will never be able to pay for its capital needs.
• There is a quick fix.

The Senate recently appropriated $1.2 billion in the Omnibus Appropriations package for Amtrak, the minimum amount Amtrak requires to continue operating its national network of intercity passenger trains. Any funding level below $1.2 billion will require Amtrak to cease operations and will jeopardize commuter and freight rail operations that depend on Amtrak for access, operations, stations, and facilities.

As US Mayor goes to press, the Conference of Mayors joined by the Council of State Governments, International City/County Management Association, National Conference of State Legislatures, and the National League of Cities wrote a letter to Senate and House Conferees urging Amtrak funding at $1.2 billion for fiscal year 2003. Stating "without this level of funding, Amtrak service will be severely impacted, resulting in the loss of service to many communities we all represent."

Amtrak operates a 22,000 mile intercity passenger rail system, serving more than 500 communities in 46 states.