AMTRAK Chairman David Laney, speaking in Austin on Friday, pointed out
that both Florida and Texas are poised for explosive population growth
in the next 30 years and that without a serious commitment for
commercial rail growth, it is unacceptable from a transportation point
of view.

The former head of the Texas Transportation Commission who now serves
as chairman of the board of the national passenger rail network urged
that passenger rail needs to be recognized as a valuable component in
transportation plans. Laney's comments were delivered to the board of
the National Association of Railroad Passengers, meeting in Austin.

AMTRAK had another record year in revenue and ridership for their
fiscal year just ended with over 24.4 million passengers using their
corridor and overnight train services throughout the country. Laney
noted that the Inspector General's recent report on AMTRAK showed a
marked improvement in the passenger rail company's financial position.
Revenue for the fiscal year totaled 1.37 billion dollars, up 100
million from the previous year.