Successful rail service in jeopardy

Got a success? Then kill it.

That’s logic — in the eyes of Congress.

The Lynchburg-Washington train that has been such a success would be derailed by new legislation now rushing through Congress. 

Some area leaders say it is too soon to panic, however, as the legislation still has several hurdles to overcome before full passage.

The train isn’t just some government boondoggle. It is a viable, money-making operation, and a positive model of exactly what should be done to improve rail travel. Any business would be thrilled with such a rapidly growing and lucrative customer base.

But late last week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing voted to slash Amtrak’s operating grant by 60 percent — from $563 million this year and last, to $227 million.

Worse, the bill prohibits any of the operating money from being used for short corridors, such as the Lynchburg-Washington train that serves Charlottesville.

Remaining money would be funneled to long routes only. Short routes, including several others in Virginia, are operated by the state with the help of federal grants.

But the successful Lynchburg-Washington route — which blasted past all its revenue and ridership estimates — was added specifically because the long route was insufficient to serve the corridor. The New Orleans-New York train was usually solidly booked and seats were unavailable to people wanting to ride the train for day or overnight trips.

What’s more, short routes are often the feeder trains for long routes — similar to regional airports serving major airline hubs. Without the feeder routes, say advocates, the long routes will be starved of passengers.

It gets worse. The bill is being fast-tracked because Congress has only a few days to enact the budget for Fiscal Year 2012. The fiscal year starts Oct. 1. If the proposed cuts are enacted, federal support would quickly cease.

The rush is the result of a problem noted earlier by Rep. Robert Hurt and others. Because Congress bickered and delayed and postured for so long before passing a budget for the current fiscal year, it deprived itself — and the public — of time to adequately deal with the 2012 budget.

Congress ran the battle right up to the edge of default on Aug. 2. Then it went on vacation. When it returned in September, the next deadline was looming.

Longtime readers will know of this newspaper’s commitment to fiscal responsibility, but also to viable rail service. Both freight and passenger rail are fiscally responsible in the long term. Rail is a cheaper way to move goods and passengers than are highways, and Congress should support that goal.

Unfortunately, Amtrak has been alternately encouraged and hamstrung by Congress and has never been able to find the stability it needs to fully succeed. The current bill is yet another seesaw in policy that prevents Amtrak from confidently planning for the future and implementing its long-term plans.

Amtrak is an anathema to some conservatives in Congress, who are now taking the opportunity to engineer its destruction.

They are wrong, and we hope wiser heads will prevail before the bill gathers more steam.