Frank Lautenberg: “I hope that finally we will come to the realization that Amtrak is not simply a Northeast corridor program, that it is…”

“I hope that finally we will come to the realization that Amtrak is not simply a Northeast corridor program, that it is an essential part of an intermodal transportation system. That fact was made abundantly clear on September 11, 2001, when jet-liners crashed into the World Trade Center and shocked America to its very core. Aviation--I never believed that it would shut down--was shut down across the country as a result of that terrible tragedy. Highways were jammed. Thank goodness we had Amtrak still running. It kept some semblance of order going between Washington and New York and throughout the Northeast region. How quickly this seems to be forgotten when we get to appropriating proper funding for Amtrak to continue its operations. Amtrak has been starved almost since birth. We heard the distinguished Senator from South Carolina talk about the amount of funds that were put into Amtrak over a 30-year period--something like $500 to $750 million a year, which is certainly not peanuts in anybody's vocabulary--but the fact is, we have just never spent enough.”