News Releases for June 2002
June 28, 2002
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Hoeven Assured Of Amtrak Funding Through December By U.S. Secretary Of Transportation Norman Mineta
BISMARCK, N.D. - U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta told Governor John Hoeven today that the Administration is completing a deal to provide Amtrak with $200 million in interim funding, enough to keep the passenger railroad running through September 30.
The passenger rail line, which served more than 80,000 North Dakotans in 2001, anticipates a $285 million shortfall this year, which it will meet through deferring capital expenditures and reducing operating expenses. The national passenger rail line, however, will require a reformed operating plan to continue service in the future. Railroad officials attribute recent losses to the recession and security upgrades required in the aftermath of September 11.
The Administration has written $521 million for Amtrak into its fiscal year 2003 budget, but the railroad has requested $1.2 billion in funding to sustain its national intercity passenger rail system. Mineta told Hoeven that the Administration will not commit more funding until the railroad initiates critical reforms.
Today’s call was a follow up to a letter Hoeven wrote in May to President Bush, the North Dakota congressional delegation and key members of Congress in support of continued funding for Amtrak. Along with the May letter, Hoeven forwarded 73 resolutions and letters gathered throughout North Dakota and Minnesota in support of Amtrak’s funding request before Congress. The national passenger rail line serves the communities of Devils Lake, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot, Rugby, Stanley and Williston in North Dakota.
“Amtrak is vitally important to North Dakota and the entire nation,” Hoeven said. “Beyond connecting small communities to economic hubs and other communities, Amtrak provides jobs and income for North Dakotans.”
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