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WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), in consultation with the Republican leadership, has named Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI) a conferee on S. 294, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act. In that role, he will help to negotiate the differences between the House and Senate versions of Amtrak funding legislation. Petri is a senior member of the Railroad Subcommittee.
"Congress hasn't succeeded in passing a five-year Amtrak reauthorization bill in more than a decade," said Petri. "We need this legislation to help Amtrak maintain its trains, improve service and retire debt, but it can't be considered simply a license to spend. I will be looking for opportunities to make it cost-effective."
Petri said that issues of importance to Wisconsin that will be considered in conference include the ratio of federal to state funding for new intercity passenger rail projects; the on-time performance of intercity passenger trains, including the popular service between Milwaukee and Chicago; and the need for modern "Next Generation Corridor" train equipment.
About the latter, he said, "This calls for a cooperative effort by states, Amtrak, the Federal Railroad Administration, freight railroads, equipment manufacturers and others to design, develop specifications for, and procure standardized next-generation corridor equipment."
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