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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 24, 2009 |
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Contact: Zach Goldberg
202-225-5801 (office) |
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REPS. HOLT, MURPHY WORK TO REDUCE AMTRAK FARES FOR COMMUTERS
Congressmen Strike Language from Transportation Funding Bill Prohibiting Amtrak from Offering Discounted Fares to Commuters
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(Washington, D.C.) – Because of the work of U.S. Representatives Rush Holt (NJ-12) and Patrick Murphy (PA-8), the House-passed Fiscal Year 2010 transportation funding bill could lead to significant discounts off the price of a peak fare ticket for commuters along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. The prior bill included language that would have prohibited Amtrak from offering discounted fares to peak hour commuters along any of its routes. However, Holt and Murphy led an effort to strike the language and ensure that Amtrak can offer commuters a discounted fare.
“In this economy, Central New Jersey constituents need relief from the high cost of commuting to work via Amtrak,” Holt said. “We should not prohibit Amtrak from offering discounted ticket rates that make public transportation more affordable and more accessible.”
“These fare increases have put more cars on our highways and forced our constituents to spend more time getting to and from work and less time at home with their families,” Murphy said. “Our region is experiencing an economic revitalization. Increased rail service and lower fares for commuters will make Lower Bucks County even more attractive to families and businesses.”
Since Fiscal Year 2006, the transportation bill has included language that prohibited Amtrak from using federal funding to support “any route on which Amtrak offers a discounted fare of more than 50 percent off the normal, peak fare.” This report language has resulted in drastically higher prices – a 20 percent increase in fares – for regular commuters along the Northeast Corridor.
The Fiscal Year 2010 Transportation funding bill would provide $1.5 billion to support the national passenger rail system. Additionally, the bill includes $4 billion to provide grants to states or Amtrak for high speed or intercity passenger rail.
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