Amtrak plays an essential role in our nation’s mass transportation system. Here in Virginia, more than 900,000 passengers a year use rail services. Amtrak operates more than 20 trains daily in Virginia, including regional service to Richmond and Newport News, and also operates 31 daily Virginia Railway Express (VRE) commuter service trips under contract with our local agencies.

I believe it is necessary to invest in long-term and diversified infrastructure projects, including Amtrak and VRE, as a means to combat ever-growing congestion in Northern Virginia. I am pleased that provisions of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act, that I cosponsored in 2007, to improve the safety, efficiency and reliability of passenger rail service was included in the Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2008 and signed into law on October 16, 2008.
 
To accommodate the VRE’s double digit ridership growth since 2001, I secured $4 million for the purchase of new locomotives, in the FY 2010 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, that will not only benefit the immediate need for stronger and more reliable trains to service current ridership levels, but also allow for the expansion of service by permitting the Virginia Railway Express to lengthen existing trains.

Besides its mass-transit value to commuters, Amtrak also employs close to 1,000 Virginian residents and brings revenue to our state. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure better and more reliable public transit.