By Philip Newman
Although the threat of an Amtrak shutdown appears to have eased for the time being, such a drastic measure could result in a commuting nightmare for thousands of Queens Long Island Rail Road passengers.
Since Amtrak owns Penn Station along with the tracks leading into the 33rd Street rail hub and rail tunnels beneath the East and Hudson rivers, the LIRR could face great problems moving its more than 500 daily trains and nearly 240,000 riders if there is a shutdown.
Halting the operations of Amtrak, which runs the Metroliner and many other long-distance trains, would also cause big headaches for New Jersey Transit, although the line is smaller than the LIRR.
Amtrak President David Gunn has said the federal railroad agency still is planning to close down within days unless it gets $100 million from the Bush administration or Congress to keep its system running.
“There has been no reconciliation of the simple fact that Amtrak is running out of cash and there is no agreement on how to provide a loan guarantee or appropriation to continue train service,” Gunn said.
Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta has expressed confidence that a way will be found to avoid a shutdown.
Amtrak took over what was left of dozens of privately owned passenger railroads in 1971 and has since then received more than $25 billion from Congress, which has periodically provided just enough for Amtrak to keep operating but far less than needed to provide adequate routes and service.
Congress has always insisted that Amtrak become financially self-sufficient, although supporters of Amtrak point out that no passenger rail system in the world can survive without large-scale government financial help.
A principal proviso of the congressional infusion of money in 1997 was that Amtrak become financially independent within five years, thus the present crisis.
Among routes Amtrak operates are long-distance trains between New York and Chicago and through to the West Coast, up and down the West Coast, from New York to Atlanta and west to New Orleans and Houston and through to the West Coast, and between Boston, New York and Washington. The Northeast Corridor services include the new high-speed Acela train.
Amtrak’s Metroliners, which travel between New York and Washington, carry more riders than the combined total of passengers traveling on shuttle flights between both cities operated by Delta Air Lines and US Airways.
Reach contributing writer Philip Newman by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 136.
