News From Senate Democrats |
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SENATOR WAGNER: AMTRAK CUTS SPELL BAD NEWS FOR WORKERS AND PASSENGERS PITTSBURGH, September 7, 2004 – Amtrak’s cuts in local passenger train service amount to bad news for Pittsburgh workers, according to state Sen. Jack Wagner (D-Allegheny). “Passengers and transportation employees will both lose out when Amtrak consolidates the Three Rivers Line and the Pennsylvanian Line into one train route in the fall,” Wagner said. “It’s unfortunate that hardworking Pittsburgh residents will suffer, simply because Amtrak is not getting adequate support from the federal government. This isn’t the kind of news we wanted to hear over the Labor Day holiday.” Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian Line runs between Pittsburgh and New York City, while the Three Rivers Line stops in Pittsburgh on its route between Chicago and New York City. The cuts will affect four daily on-board crews of car attendants, engineers, conductors, baggage handlers, repairmen and coach cleaners, as well as employees at various station stops. Wagner said that both rail lines reported significant increases in ridership for 2003, and Amtrak in general logged a record number of patrons last year. However, these high patronage rates cannot compensate for lower federal subsidies. Amtrak received $1.2 billion this year from the federal government after requesting $1.4 billion, and the appropriation could be as low as $900,000 in 2005. “We’re doing all we can at the state level to bring tourism and economic opportunities to Pittsburgh,” Wagner added. “We’ll be able to create jobs and attract more visitors and residents to the city using slots revenues, but the federal government isn’t making things any easier for local businesses with these reductions in funding.” PennDOT is currently considering a plan to subsidize the Pennsylvanian Line and the Three Rivers Line as an alternative to their pending elimination. “On behalf of our local Amtrak employees and patrons, I urge PennDOT to explore options to help preserve these rail lines,” Wagner said. |
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