CHICAGO, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta says states should fund and operate long-haul Amtrak trains through multi-state compacts.
Mineta said $29 billion in federal subsidies spent since the mid-1970s had not made Amtrak self-sustaining. He proposed using the money the government currently provides to run Amtrak for infrastructure projects, Crain's Chicago Business said.
President Bush proposed ending federal subsidies for Amtrak in his fiscal 2006 budget.
Mineta said the administration would reintroduce the Passenger Rail Reform Investment Act, which was compared to legislation providing federal funding for airports and national highways that states are responsible for maintaining.
He told a news conference the Chicago-area commuter rail agency, Metra, was better suited to operate Union Station than Amtrak, which has 17 percent of the trains using the station.
Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., said Mineta was trying to sell a Bush administration plan to privatize and eventually eliminate Amtrak something that Illinois can't afford.
Illinois pays about $12 million a year to subsidize passenger rail service in the state.
