John Schwarz: “no passenger rail system in the world that is worth its salt runs without subsidy. After World War II, the entire rail…”

“no passenger rail system in the world that is worth its salt runs without subsidy. After World War II, the entire rail system in Europe was destroyed, and they have built up from that time to the best passenger rail system in the world, France, Germany, the low countries, the UK, Italy, Spain. Spain, for God's sake, has a better passenger rail system than the United States. The first four airlines in the United States are broke or going broke. If my colleagues have flown lately, and I know all of them have flown lately, they know what a great experience that is. The gentleman from Oregon was correct in saying we are going to take traffic off the interstates. We are going to take passengers off the airplanes, especially east of the Mississippi and up and down the California coast, and put them on trains, but we cannot run this system unsubsidized. It is not possible, and our friends in Europe, our friends in Japan, that have the best rail passenger systems in the world, understand that. I ask the body to fund Amtrak at the level suggested by the LaTourette amendment for another year. I also ask the body to appoint a commission to study Amtrak, to put together a plan to make Amtrak something that survives and is efficient, but my colleagues must know there will always be a subsidy. I find it an embarrassment that the passenger rail service in the United States of America is in its present state, and something needs to be done about it. It needs to be preserved.”