FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 18, 2000
Contact: Bill Adams
Tel.: (202) 366-5580
DOT 205-00

On behalf of Secretary Slater and the Clinton-Gore administration, I’m delighted to help Amtrak celebrate the arrival of the high-speed Acela Express, and to reaffirm this administration’s strong support for high-speed rail.

Acela Express is going to transform transportation along the Northeast Corridor. It will help unclog our highways and airports, serve as an engine of economic growth throughout the northeast, and broaden the options available to travelers.

But high-speed rail isn’t just something for the Northeast.

All Americans suffer from the effects of winglock and gridlock; all Americans are looking for more choices; and all Americans deserve access to high-speed rail. That’s why, only last week, Secretary Slater designated new miles of high-speed rail corridors in the south, the midwest and the northeast. And that’s also why the leadership of this Administration has come out strongly in support of the High Speed Rail Investment Act currently before Congress.

Today, Amtrak is working with some 30 states on high-speed rail corridors. But passage of the High Speed Rail Investment Act would enable Amtrak to do step up the pace. With the introduction of Acela Express, passage of this legislation is the next step in providing America with a balanced transportation system – one that relies on passenger rail as well as on highways and airports.

It’s about fairness – giving passenger rail a dedicated source of long term capital such as highways and airports have long had. It’s about the future – giving America the transportation system we need to maintain our competitive edge in the 21^st century. And I know that ride into the 21^st Century will be ride of a life-time! We are proud of the support that this Administration has given to Amtrak – but we are even more proud that these trains will set the world standard for passenger rail safety.

So thank you, Amtrak, for all your work on Acela Express, on the Northeast Corridor, and on all the high speed corridors to come. And thank you, Senators Lautenberg, Roth and Moynihan, for all your great work on behalf of the Investment Act. And finally, thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for joining us on this red-letter day in American transportation history. It was a great day when Vice President Gore unveiled the Acela design – it’s even greater to have the real thing and I look forward to my next ride.

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Briefing Room