Bill Pascrell: “the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 is a great piece of legislation. I want to commend Chairman…”

“the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 is a great piece of legislation. I want to commend Chairman Oberstar and Chairwoman Corrine Brown. I know how hard you worked on this the last several years, both of you, and of course, Ranking Member Mica and Mr. Shuster from Pennsylvania. The need for a strong, national passenger railroad system grows daily. The price of oil has reached $140 per barrel. On the ground, congestion on our interstates mounts with increases of commuters and the movement of goods. In the air, many of our Nation's airlines are cutting back the number of planes and, therefore, the capacity by 10 to 20 percent. The American people need and deserve an alternative to driving their automobiles and traveling by airplane. This legislation would bolster the fortunes of our intercity passenger rail system and put Amtrak on the path to success. In addition to procuring new rolling stock and meeting its labor commitments, under this bill Amtrak would be able to make needed improvements to the heavily trafficked Northeast Corridor, NEC. My home State of New Jersey and Amtrak have had an interesting, symbiotic relationship. The Northeast Corridor rail operations are important for New Jersey's economic growth and our competitiveness, as the NEC is the spine for New Jersey Transit's commuter rail system. Both Mr. Oberstar and Mr. Mica have come, seen. They understand what the situation is in terms of our relationship to economic growth.”