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President Bush Feb. 27 presented the Joint Session of Congress his proposed 2002 budget — one that American Public Transportation Association (APTA) applauds and National Railroad Passenger Corp. (Amtrak) President and Chief Executive Officer George Warrington commends.


Although highways would continue to devour the largest share of U.S. Department of Transportation’s budget at $32.3 billion, and aviation would follow at $13.3 billion, mass transit would see a respectable full-funding "guarantee" level of $6.7 billion — $486 million more than the 2001 enacted level — to be used to expand mass transit programs.


"The proposed increase in federal transit investment continues the upward trend that has resulted in a more than 21 percent increase in transit ridership over the past five years, with 9.4 billion trips taken by Americans across the country in 2000," said APTA Chair Ronald Tober in a prepared statement.


"We are pleased that the President has honored the funding guaranteed under the landmark Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) and will work with Congress and the Administration to enact the fully authorized amounts," added APTA President William Millar.


The Coast Guard would receive the next largest portion of DOT funds at $5.1 billion — $545 million more than enacted in 2001.


Amtrak would receive $521 million in DOT funds for capital programs, which represents 100 percent of the capital funds Congress agreed to appropriate as part of the agreement to eliminate Amtrak’s federal operating grants. In fiscal-year 1999, Amtrak reduced its operating grant to $318 million, and plans to further reduce it to $59 million this year, and then end the grant by 2003.


In an effort to make up for years of deferred maintenance and improve the passenger railway’s performance, Amtrak last month proposed a $1.5 billion annual capital budget — well below funds proposed in the Bush Administration’s 2002 budget for every other mode.