U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) recently questioned Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson and other officials on the railroad’s failure to connect rural areas to the rest of the country.
“I really hope moving forward that we try to make Amtrak all it can be,” Tester said at the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing. “But we can’t forget about the rural areas. In two small towns, that happen to be fairly close to where I live, there were ticket offices that were closed… If we’re not going to leave rural America out, how do we make it so these folks in rural areas-who quite frankly will use the train-how do we make it work for them?”
The Trump Administration’s fiscal year 2020 budget slashes funding for Amtrak by $455 million.
Tester urged Anderson to work hard to ensure it isn’t only highly populations areas that have good passenger service.
The nation needs Anderson’s advocacy to make smart investments that work well for citizens, Tester said. If investments are not made, the country will never get the dividend, Tester said.
Tester also questioned Federal Railroad Administrator Ronald Batory at a recent Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on the lack of long-term planning for Amtrak programs in rural areas.