WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Jerry Moran took time to throw both support and caution to current Amtrak President William Flynn during hearings in Washington on Wednesday.
Amtrak has come under the gun over the last year when past leadership threatened to cut service aboard the SW Chief to buses through Kansas and Colorado. Currently, Amtrak has cut service to long-distance trains to three days per week during the pandemic. Moran says he is trying not to be skeptical, but is keeping an eye on where Amtrak is heading.
“Previous CEOs at Amtrak were less committed to long-distance passenger service not that long ago,” Moran said. “So when the three-day (service) arrived, it raised concerns that this is another circumstance in which we’re just being played. That this is the continued effort to eliminate or significantly diminish service.”
Flynn says Amtrak needs a large infusion of cash to keep the long-distance trains running and that there are few options available in finding funds from within the company. Moran says he will help try to secure that funding.
“Mr. Flynn, I would offer my services to you and to Amtrak in trying to embellish to increase the volume of your efforts . . . to get congressional attention to this issue,” Moran said. “It matters a lot and I want to ally myself with efforts of yours and my colleagues to see that the attention necessary (is given) to solve this problem.”
Flynn says Amtrak would need about $5 billion in funds to keep the passenger service as it currently is and to help recover once the pandemic eases. He also said that he and the current Amtrak Board is committed to keep long-distance service running.