House Passes Norton's WMATA & Amtrak Bills- Timely Responses to Energy & Security Needs (9/25/08)

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton's three transportation bills for WMATA funding, Amtrak modernization, and rail safety cleared the House in a bipartisan, unanimous consent vote. A bill, consolidating three separate bills, now in the Senate, will go to the President, "if it continues the new glide path this bill has now found" Norton said. The Congresswoman was an original co-sponsor of the original WMATA bill to provide $150 million annually and $1.5 billion over ten years for capital costs for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

"The need for the WMATA authorization is vital to relieve record crowding, as increasing gas prices have forced people to abandon their cars in favor of mass transit," Norton said. In addition, the Congresswoman, whose District is the headquarters for Amtrak, said "The path-breaking Amtrak bill authorizes the first high-speed rail in our country and it will run between D.C., and New York City." The Amtrak Reauthorization includes $13.06 billion over five years for passenger rail, reforms the board of directors, improves the Northeast Corridor to a state-of-good-repair, and fines for freight railroads that delay Amtrak.

The railroad safety improvements, Norton said "already have been vindicated by the recent rail accident in California. The bill's elimination of "limbo time," the first major rail safety bill in decades, also relieves workers from waiting for hours off work, many miles from home. Norton also fought to include work and rest periods for crews and signal operators in this bill.

The Congresswoman, a member of both the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which authorized both bills, and the Homeland Security Committees said, "Capital funding for WMATA provides the only way to conquer the huge and mounting difficulties that WMATA faces." In struggling for approval, Norton argued that "most of the weekday riders are federal employees or tourists" and that in post-911 "security needs alone make a strong case for federal funding for the system that moves federal employees throughout the region." The WMATA funding will allow the core 103 mile Metro and the bus system to begin track work, and add railcars, cameras for buses, information technology, and improve water damaged tunnels and passenger facilities.