John Schwarz: “while I credit my colleague from Michigan for doing a great deal of work on this bill, and I know it is a tremendously…”

“while I credit my colleague from Michigan for doing a great deal of work on this bill, and I know it is a tremendously difficult bill, rail passenger service in the United States is the worst in all of the industrialized world. It does not have to be that way. Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Scandinavian countries, Spain and Portugal have better rail service, more rapid rail service, more frequent rail service, more efficient rail service than the United States. It does not have to be this way. The degradation of the Amtrak system goes on apace, whether it is the right-of-way or equipment. Equipment needs to be replaced. Right-of-way needs to be maintained. The Canton area, the electric, the Canton area in the Northeast Corridor needs to be maintained as well. Witness the blackout just 2 weeks ago. We need to have a modern, efficient, dependable rail passenger service in the United States. The only way we can do it is to fund it. It is the most efficient way to carry people. And I must say that no system in any industrialized country in the world is profitable. They are all subsidized. It is part of the cost of doing business. It is part of the cost of running an efficient government. It is part of the cost of keeping our economy going. Please support the LaTourette amendment.”