DORGAN APPLAUDS KEY VOTE ON BILL TO BOOST AMTRAK, IMPROVE SAFETY ON RAILROADS

Senator says bill will ensure Amtrak trains keep rolling through North Dakota

Monday, September 29, 2008

CONTACT: Justin Kitsch
or  Brenden Timpe
PHONE: 202-224-2551

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) said that a Senate vote today will give a boost to long-distance Amtrak routes like the Empire Builder, which served nearly 120,000 North Dakotans in the last fiscal year.

The legislation, which needed the support of 60 senators to move forward, cleared the key hurdle on a 69-17 vote. There will be a vote on final passage on Wednesday of this week. The bill will strengthen Amtrak by reducing the company’s debt, improving on-board food and beverage service, and implementing new safety standards for freight and passenger rail. Most importantly, it authorizes funding at a level that will ensure long-distance routes such as the Empire Builder can keep running.

“For North Dakotans and residents of other rural states, Amtrak is an important part of our transportation network,” Dorgan said. “This bill will make some important changes that will improve freight and passenger rail safety and the reliability of Amtrak. But it will also make sure our long-distance passenger rail lines keep running, and that’s critical for those who rely on Amtrak.”

Dorgan said the bill also makes some critical improvements to rail safety. It will invest in new technologies and training that will help avoid accidents.

Amtrak’s Empire Builder serves seven communities in North Dakota – Williston, Stanley, Minot, Rugby, Devils Lake, Grand Forks and Fargo. Ridership in North Dakota was 119,586 in fiscal year 2007. The route takes passengers as far as Seattle, Wash., and Portland, Ore., in the west and Chicago in the east. Dorgan, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has fought the Administration’s efforts to cut funding for Amtrak to a level that would force long-distance routes to shut down.

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