Senate Dems push transit funding after Amtrak crash

Senate Democrats are pressing the case for increased transportation funding in the wake of an Amtrak train crash that left seven people dead and more than a hundred people injured. 

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said lawmakers should find “common ground” to invest in railroads, ports, highways and bridges. 

“Now, we don’t know what caused this accident but we do know that we need to invest in 21st century systems and equipment and stop relying on patchwork upgrades to old, rusted, 19th century rail lines,” he said. 

{mosads}Menendez added that the United States is facing an $86 billion backlog in transit needs, in addition to another $19 billion a year through 2030 to get transportation assets “into good repair.” 

The New Jersey Democrat said the country’s “crumbling” infrastructure “means a working mother is stuck in traffic and can’t get home in time for dinner with her kids, and in the very worst cases, cases like we saw yesterday on Amtrak, it might very well mean that a loved one is lost in a senseless tragedy.” 

The debate over transportation funding took center stage on Wednesday after an Amtrak train derailed Tuesday night outside of Philadelphia. Federal investigators said Wednesday that the train appeared to be going 100 miles per hour (MPH) in a zone where the speed limit is 50 miles per hour. 

Sen. Richard Blumenthal said the early reports about the accident underscore the need for Positive Train Control technology, which prevents trains from speeding. 

The Connecticut Democrat previously pushed for legislation aimed at ensuring that railroads install the technology. 

House Republicans on Wednesday approved a funding cut for Amtrak Wednesday, but Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) suggested that was the wrong step

“I would think that we would want to increase Amtrak’s budget,” Nelson said.  

“Our hearts go out to the victims. But, at the same time, we’ve got to look to the future, and we’ve got to get our collective heads out of the sand and start producing the funding for infrastructure investment,” he said. 

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) added that he would make sure Amtrak and other rail services “have the federal resources and policies they need to operate safely and efficiently.” 

Meanwhile, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said he had planned to roll out legislation that would fund improvements to passenger rail, but is holding off in the wake of the Amtrak crash. 

“We had intended to authorize this bill authorizing funding and improvements to passenger rail in the United States, just today that was our intention,” he said. “However, in light of this tragic event, Senator [Roger] Wicker and I have decided to monitor the incoming information and take this opportunity to evaluate what other actions might need to be taken.” 

Booker noted that Congress last passed a passenger rail authorization bill in 2008, and that the legislation expired in 2013.