Testimony

Testifying on Amtrak issues before the Senate Commerce Committee, the Inspector General said Amtrak would not meet its mandate to achieve operating self-sufficiency by December 2002. The most critical issue confronting Amtrak is not operating assistance, he said, but how much capital investment will be needed to sustain a system of intercity passenger rail service. The IG concluded that the Administration's FY 2003 Amtrak budget request of $521 million is not sufficient to provide the needed capital for the railroad.