Marcy Kaptur: “I thank Ranking Member Capuano for yielding me this time. I want to thank the capable chairman of the committee, Mr.…”

“I thank Ranking Member Capuano for yielding me this time. I want to thank the capable chairman of the committee, Mr. Shuster, and the chairman and the ranking member of the full committee, Mr. DeFazio, for bringing this important Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act before us. Mr. Chairman, as the Representative of the busiest Amtrak station in Ohio at Toledo and the Amtrak stations in Sandusky and Elyria-Lorain, I rise to urge the passage of this important bill to continue and advance passenger rail service across our Nation. When I was born, the population of the United States was 146 million people. Today, it surpasses 320 million. By 2020, our Nation's population is projected to reach over half a billion people--over 500 million. As time moves forward, the necessity for passenger rail will become clearer with each passing day. Many of our major urban centers are clogged with traffic jams daily, and the railroads across my region of our continent have severe freight rail and passenger rail conflicts because they are forced to use the same tracks. Imagine that we are living in the 21st century, and we are still tethered to 19th century rail pathways. Passenger rail travel in Ohio is booming despite these constraints-- up from 108,000 passengers in 2007 to 160,000 passengers in 2013. A trend in my district has grown as well, with Toledo passengers on the northwest Ohio corridor increasing from 53,000 to 77,000 over the same time.…”