Bud Shuster: “I really appreciate Chairman Denham coming up and talking about some of the important reforms in this bill. I want to…”

“I really appreciate Chairman Denham coming up and talking about some of the important reforms in this bill. I want to add to that. One of the key things we do in this bill is we are empowering the States. There are 19 States and 21 State-supported lines. I just look to Pennsylvania. I think they are a prime example of what happens when States work together with Amtrak. Again, this bill, for my colleagues, especially on my side of the aisle who I hope are listening to this debate, we are going to empower those States to have equal say with Amtrak when you are investing dollars in these various lines around the country. An example is the Keystone line in Pennsylvania from Harrisburg to Philadelphia. Several years ago, the State of Pennsylvania and Amtrak each invested $100 million into that line. They decreased the travel time by about 20 minutes from Philadelphia to Harrisburg and Harrisburg to Philadelphia. They increased their reliability, and the ridership over the last several years has gone up almost 80 percent. This year, this first quarter, they are projecting they are going to make a profit on that line. That is exactly the kind of example that we in Congress need to look to. My friends on both sides of the aisle, we can have a better Amtrak if we do things more businesslike. The reforms that are in this bill are significant. To name just a few of the lines that are State-supported: The Heartland Flyer in Texas.…”