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"Amtrak, our nation's
primary rail passenger carrier, is an integral part of the Midwest
transportation system, and of the nation as a whole," Gov.
Blagojevich wrote. "Eliminating its operating budget would be a
major blow to the families that call rural America home, both in
terms of travel convenience and as a regional economic engine."
Currently, Illinois provides $12 million a year in financial support
to Amtrak. This money is used to maintain regular passenger rail
service from Chicago to Quincy, St. Louis and Carbondale. The state
also partners with Wisconsin for Chicago-to-Milwaukee service, which
served 445,000 riders last year.
"Amtrak provides vital and affordable transportation service for
many of our families, seniors on fixed incomes, our members of the
armed forces and students," the governor said. "More than 3 million
people travel in or through Illinois every year on the Amtrak rail
system.
"Passenger rail is also vital to our economy. Chicago is home to
one of the busiest rail stations in the country: More than 1 million
people boarded trains at Amtrak's Union Station in 2003. At least
2,000 people, from concession operators to cab drivers, rely on
Chicago's Union Station, Amtrak's Midwest hub, for their livelihood.
Our tourism industry from Chicago to the Shawnee National Forest
would also feel the blow, and families seeking low-cost vacations
would have one less alternative."
Gov. Blagojevich is urging the Bush
administration to reconsider its proposed funding cuts. If enacted,
the reductions could mean:
- Ownership of Chicago's Union Station would be in question,
jeopardizing at least 2,000 jobs, ranging from concession
operators to taxi drivers.
- Tourism in the Chicago area and throughout the state would be
negatively affected.
- Communities where rail is the only form of public
transportation would find themselves without any.
- Long-distance passenger rail service would evaporate.
- Midwest rail infrastructure would deteriorate.
"I urge you to reconsider your budget as proposed, and work with
the Congress to find a mutually agreeable level of federal financial
support for Amtrak that will allow passenger rail to continue," the
governor wrote in closing. "My staff and I will work with our
congressional delegation, including Speaker Hastert, to see that
Amtrak trains continue to run in the Midwest."
= = =
Text of the governor's letter:
Office of the Governor
Chicago, Illinois 60601
Rod Blagojevich
Governor
February 8, 2005
The Honorable George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President,
As Governor of Illinois I am
writing you to express my grave concerns -- as well as those of many
of our state's citizens -- over the passenger rail service cuts you
proposed in your federal budget.
Amtrak, our nation's primary rail
passenger carrier, is an integral part of the Midwest's
transportation system, and of the nation as a whole. Eliminating its
operating budget would be a major blow to the families that call
rural America home, both in terms of travel convenience and as a
regional economic engine.
Illinois has a long history of
investing in passenger rail service to ensure service throughout our
state; but your budget as proposed would undoubtedly eliminate this
service as we know it. Illinois, like other states around the
country, is faced with serious financial difficulties of its own and
we have made painful cuts to balance our budget. But we have made
the commitment, even during these troubled times, to provide $12
million annually to maintain passenger rail service as an option for
our citizens. Illinois cannot afford to shoulder this burden alone
and should the federal government pull its commitment to Amtrak,
rail passenger service in our state and all of the Midwest would
cease.
[to top of second column in
this article] |
Amtrak provides vital and
affordable transportation service for many of our families, seniors
on fixed incomes, our members of the armed forces, and students.
More than three million people travel in or through Illinois every
year on the Amtrak rail system. Thousands of college students count
on Amtrak to take them to their universities and home again;
eliminating this service would at the least limit their choices of
where they may choose to continue their education, or at the worst,
eliminate their ability to continue higher education. In many of our
downstate communities, passenger rail is the only public
transportation available.
Passenger rail is also vital to our
economy. Chicago is home to one of the busiest rail stations in the
country: more than one million people boarded trains at Amtrak's
Union Station in 2003. At
least two thousand people, from
concession operators to cab drivers rely on Chicago's Union Station,
Amtrak's Midwest hub, for their livelihood. Our tourism industry
from Chicago to the Shawnee National Forest would also feel the
blow, and families seeking low cost vacations would have one less
alternative.
Illinois has already made a
commitment of more than $80 million to accommodate high-speed rail
on the Chicago to St. Louis corridor. If the Congress passes your
budget as proposed, it will severely set back bringing high-speed
rail to the Midwest, if not kill the initiative altogether.
I urge you to reconsider your
budget as proposed, and work with the Congress to find a mutually
agreeable level of federal financial support for Amtrak that will
allow passenger rail to continue. My staff and I will work with our
congressional delegation, including Speaker Hastert, to see that
Amtrak trains continue to run in the Midwest. Should you wish to
discuss this, my staff and I are always available.
Sincerely,
Rod Blagojevich
Governor, Illinois
CC:
Norman Y. Mineta, Secretary of
Transportation
Senator Thad Cochran, Chairman
of the Senate Committee on Appropriations
Representative Jerry Lewis,
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on
Appropriations
Representative Dennis Hastert,
Speaker of the House
Senator Richard Durbin
Senator Barack Obama
Representative Bobby Rush
Representative Jesse Jackson Jr.
Representative Dan Lipinski
Representative Luis Gutierrez
Representative Rahm Emanuel
Representative Henry Hyde
Representative Danny Davis
Representative Melissa Bean
Representative Jan Schakowsky
Representative Mark Kirk
Representative Jerry Weller
Representative Jerry Costello
Representative Judy Biggert
Representative Tim Johnson
Representative Dan Manzullo
Representative Lane Evans
Representative Ray LaHood
Representative John Shimkus
[News release from the
governor's office]
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