Amtrak's Boardman praises new corporate alliance for infrastructure investment

Amtrak President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Boardman expressed his support for a new business coalition announced yesterday that aims to raise attention to the need for greater investment in the nation's transportation infrastructure.

The Alliance for American Competitiveness (AFAC) — which includes major corporations such as BNSF Railway Co., UPS, Honeywell, Dow Chemical and Caterpillar — will bring attention to the need for strategic investment in infrastructure and its relationship to American competitiveness in the global economy.

The group's timing is related to Congress gearing up to consider reauthorization of surface transportation legislation. The current law, known as MAP-21, expires on Sept. 30.

"Amtrak applauds the Alliance for American Competitiveness for bringing increased attention to how improved transportation infrastructure is essential to our nation's economic growth, job creation and global competitiveness," Boardman said in a press release. "It is time to change the debate from simply keeping the Highway Trust Fund on life support to a new approach that is focused on our economic future and national connectivity."

AFAC's core companies "rely on an integrated and smoothly functioning transportation supply chain to achieve their success in interstate commerce," Boardman continued. "Amtrak, too, requires the same ease of transport for the interstate business we operate and which our infrastructure supports — the safe movement of hundreds of millions of intercity and commuter rail passengers each year."