SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING COMMUTER RAIL EXPANSION.

SEC. 403. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING COMMUTER RAIL EXPANSION.(a) Findings.—The Congress find the following:(1) In 2006, Americans took 10.1 billion trips on public transportation for the first time since 1949.(2) The Northeast region is one of the Nation’s largest emerging transportation “megaregions” where infrastructure expansion and improvements are most needed.(3) New England’s road traffic has increased two to three times faster than its population since 1990.(4) Connecticut has one of the Nation’s longest average commute times according to the United States Census Bureau, and 80 percent of Connecticut commuters drive by themselves to work, demonstrating the need for expanded commuter rail access.(5) The Connecticut Department of Transportation has pledged to modernize, repair, and strengthen the rail line infrastructure to provide for increased safety and security along a crucial transportation corridor in the Northeast.(6) Expanded New Haven-Springfield rail service would improve access to Bradley International Airport, one the region’s busiest airports, as well as to Hartford, Connecticut, 122 STAT. 4957 and Springfield, Massachusetts, two of the region’s commercial, residential, and industrial centers.(7) Expanded commuter rail service on the New Haven-Springfield line could result in an estimated 630,000 additional trips per year and 2,215,384 passenger miles per year, helping to curb pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from road vehicle traffic.(8) The MetroNorth New Haven Line and Shore Line East railways saw respective 3.43 percent and 4.93 percent increases in ridership over the course of 2007, demonstrating the need for expanded commuter rail service in Connecticut.(9) Expanded New Haven-Springfield commuter rail service could provide transportation nearly 17 times more efficient in terms of average mileage versus road vehicles, alleviating road congestion and providing a significant savings to consumers during a time of high gas prices.(b) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of the Congress that expanded commuter rail service on the rail line between New Haven, Connecticut, and Springfield, Massachusetts, is an important transportation priority, and Amtrak should work cooperatively with the States of Connecticut and Massachusetts to enable expanded commuter rail service on such line.(c) Infrastructure Maintenance Report.—Amtrak shall submit a report to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and to the State Departments of Transportation of Connecticut and Massachusetts, on the total cost of uncompleted infrastructure maintenance on the rail line between New Haven, Connecticut, and Springfield, Massachusetts.