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Article: Amtrak's Kummant wants to preserve "national system of long-distance routes".(Transit Update)(Alex Kummant)(Amtrak rail)(Financial report)
- Article from:
- Railway Age
- Article date:
- March 1, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Amtrak President and CEO Alex Kummant has asked Congress for $1.53 billon in federal funding for FY 2008, nearly double the $800 million requested by the Bush Administration. Both Amtrak and the Administration are asking for an additional $100 million for matching grants to states to begin the transition of corridor routes to states.
A new item in this year's budget is $21 million for new diesel multiple unit cars to be tested as an equipment option in low-density corridors.
Kummant submitted the FY 2008 request to Congress on Feb. 15 in a letter that sketched a generally upbeat picture of Amtrak operations.
"Amtrak's recent focus on customer ...