Political Quotes

“Freight transportation is a vital and growing industry in the United States. Rail is the most prudent way of expanding the capacity to accommodate growth in freight traffic, allowing for congestion relief on our roadways, cost benefits to shippers, and improving our air quality. However, our Nation's aging and congested infrastructure does not adequately support the rail needs of today. Across the country from Los Angeles to Chicago to New York City, the movement of freight is being stalled and delayed by a variety of bottlenecks. For example, every day 37,500 freight cars travel through Chicago at a snail's pace of 7 to 12 miles per hour. Added on top of that, 700 commuter and Amtrak trains. Today it takes 2 days to move rail shipments through Chicago. It is clear that capacity constraints and congestion thrive within our rail system and the situation is quickly worsening. The Chicago Area Transportation Study predicts that freight car traffic through the Chicagoland area will increase nearly 79 percent in less than two decades. But this is not just the Chicago problem. A recent report from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials states that growth in domestic and international freight tonnage is expected to grow 67 percent by the year 2020. The result will mean a shift of 900 million tons of freight onto our interstate system, adding a $21 billion need to highway costs in the next 17 years.”