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Bill may boost capital-S.F. train service
Last Updated 6:08 am PDT Friday, May 9, 2008
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B2
WASHINGTON – Sacramento-to-San Francisco commuter train service could get a boost from a five-year, $14.4 billion reauthorization of Amtrak introduced Thursday in the House, said Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento.
Introduced by a bipartisan group of leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, on which Matsui sits, the bill is scheduled for a vote this month, said the committee chairman, Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn.
The bill would create ways to expand passenger rail service and encourage high-speed trains, for the first time including private-public partnerships. Another provision would allocate $500 million a year for grants to fund up to 80 percent of the cost to improve intercity rail service.
Matsui said the Capitol Corridor service between Sacramento and the Bay Area probably would be a beneficiary of the program.
She cited "instability in our economy and skyrocketing gas prices" for the rapid ridership gains of the commuter train. March ridership was up almost 17 percent over 2007 and revenue was running 33 percent higher, her office said.
Under the legislation, grants would be awarded by the Transportation Department for new or improved intercity service based largely on ridership and economic performance.
– David Whitney
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