Mica, Shuster roll out passenger rail plan

A dramatic new direction that focuses on bringing competition to high-speed and intercity passenger rail service across the country was presented during a national briefing by committee leaders. The plan incorporates competitive bidding and private sector involvement to bring high-speed rail to the Northeast Corridor and improve intercity passenger rail service nationwide. U.S. Representative John L. Mica, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee, and U.S. Representative Bill Shuster, chairman of the Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, presented their new direction for U.S. passenger rail service to national and state transportation officials and passenger rail stakeholders across the country and enabled their participation via webcast and teleconference. The Mica/Shuster initiative is called the Competition for Intercity Passenger Rail in America Act. "Competition in high-speed and intercity passenger rail will cut taxpayer subsidies, improve service and bring our nation into the 21st century of passenger rail transportation," Mica said. "Our plan will create jobs by finally bringing real high-speed rail to the one region of the country where it makes the most sense - the Northeast Corridor - and do so in a dramatically shorter time than Amtrak's 30-year plan, at a fraction of their proposed $117 billion cost," Mica said. The Mica/Shuster proposal will also give states greater control and authority over their intercity passenger rail services, currently operated by Amtrak. Ridership on state-supported routes has increased significantly over the past 15 years and incentivizing private sector competition for rail services on these routes will ensure states and taxpayers get a said good deal and a good service. The initiative will also open up other Amtrak long-distance money-losing routes to competition, allowing the private sector the opportunity to bid on any intercity route and potentially improve service. The Mica/Shuster initiative will aim at bringing real high-speed rail to the nation's Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C., New York City and Boston. The corridor is already owned almost in its entirety by Amtrak and the initiative will end the Amtrak monopoly and separate the NEC from it creating a separate business unit. Fifteen states around the country currently pay Amtrak to operate intercity passenger rail. The initiative encourages private companies to compete not only on these state-supported intercity routes but on long-distance routes as well, which Rep. Mica and Rep. Shuster say will save taxpayers' dollars and create and protect jobs.