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STUDY OF ALASKA RAILROAD RATES

SEC. 709. Within 6 months after the effective date of this Act, the Interstate Commerce Commission shall commence and complete a study to determine whether the rates charged by the Alaska Railroad pursuant to ICC-ARR Freight Tariffs 4108 and 4109 (as supplemented by supplements 1-4) would, if such rates had been entered into after the effective date of this Act, have constituted a violation of section 10701a(c)(1) of title 49, United States Code, as amended by this Act. To the extent feasible, such study shall be coordinated with the study by the State of Alaska in progress on the effective date of this Act.

EFFECTIVE DATES

SEC. 710. (a) Except as provided in subsections (b), (c), and (d) of this section, the provisions of this Act and the amendments made by this Act shall take effect on October 1, 1980.

(b) Section 206 of this Act shall take effect on January 1, 1981. (c) Section 218(b) of this Act shall take effect on October 1, 1983. (d) Section 701 of this Act shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act.

Approved October 14, 1980.

RAIL PASSENGER SERVICE ACT

(457)

RAIL PASSENGER SERVICE ACT

(as amended through 1980)

AN ACT To provide financial assistance for and establishment of a national rail passenger system, to provide for the modernization of railroad passenger equipment, to authorize the prescribing of minimum standards for railroad passenger service, to amend section 13a of the Interstate Commerce Act, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "Rail Passenger Service Act".

TITLE I-FINDINGS, PURPOSES, GOALS, AND DEFINITIONS

SEC. 101. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF PURPOSE.

(a) The Congress finds that modern, efficient, intercity railroad passenger service is a necessary part of a balanced transportation system; that the public convenience and necessity require the continuance and improvement of such service to provide fast and comfortable transportation between crowded urban areas and in other areas of the country; that rail passenger service can help to end the congestion on our highways and the overcrowding of airways and airports; that the traveler in America should to the maximum extent feasible have freedom to choose the mode of travel most convenient to his needs; that to achieve these goals requires the designation of a basic national rail passenger system and the establishment of a Rail Passenger Corporation for the purpose of providing modern, efficient, intercity rail passenger service; that Federal financial assistance as well as investment capital from the private sector of the economy is needed for this purpose; that interim emergency Federal financial assistance to certain railroads may be necessary to permit the orderly transfer of railroad passenger service to a Railroad Passenger Corporation; and that rail passenger service offers significant benefits in public transportation for the safe movement of passengers with minimum energy expenditure and represents a significant national transportation asset in time of national emergency or energy shortage.

(b) The Congress further finds that

(1) inadequately defined goals for the Corporation have denied its board of directors an effective role in guiding the Corporation or in promoting and increasing the number of intercity rail passengers;

(2) uncertain goals and financial commitment have discouraged the development of effective corporate management;

(3) uncertainty arising from the lack of specific goals has made the achievement of high employee morale difficult;

(4) State participation in subsidizing interstate rail passenger service has, for the most part, been unworkable;

(5) lack of full cooperation by the railroad industry has impeded effective systemwide operation of passenger trains by the Corporation; and

(6) a greater degree of cooperation is necessary among railroads, the Corporation, States with subsidized service, labor organizations, and suppliers of services and equipment to the Corporation in order to achieve a level of performance sufficient to justify additional expenditure of public funds.

SEC. 102. GOALS.

The Congress hereby establishes the following goals for Amtrak: (1) Improvement of on-time performance by at least 50 percent within the three-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this section.

(2) Implementation of schedules which provide a systemwide average speed of at least 55 miles per hour, and which can be adhered to with a degree of reliability and passenger comfort.

(3) Improvement of the ratio of revenues to operating expenses, with the goal of coverage of at least 44 percent of operating expenses, excluding depreciation, from revenues by the end of fiscal year 1982 and 50 percent by the end of fiscal year 1985.

(4) Improvement of the feasibility of State-subsidized service through the use of technical assistance panels to coordinate, plan, and implement such service.

(5) Encouragement of rail carriers to assist in improving intercity rail passenger service.

(6) General improvement of Amtrak's performance through comprehensive, systematic operational programs and employee incentives.

SEC. 103. DEFINITIONS.

For the purposes of this Act

(1) "Amtrak" means the National Railroad Passenger Corporation created under title III of this Act.

(2) "Auto-ferry service" means intercity rail passenger service characterized by transportation of automobiles or recreational vehicles and their occupants.

(3) "Avoidable loss" means the avoidable costs of providing passenger service, less revenues attributable thereto, as determined by the Interstate Commerce Commission under the provisions of section 553 of title 5, United States Code.

(4) "Basic system" means (A) prior to October 1, 1979, the system of intercity rail passenger service designated by the Secretary under title II and section 403(a) of this Act, and (B) on and after October 1, 1979, the system of intercity rail passenger service designated by the Secretary under section 4 of the Amtrak Improvement Act of 1978 (Public Law 95-421) and approved by the Congress, and service required to be operated under sections 404(d) and 404(e) of this Act and under section 4(g) of the Amtrak Improvement Act of 1978, including changes to such system or service made by the Corporation using the Route and Service Criteria.

(5) "Center" means the Performance Evaluation Center established under section 305 of this Act.

(6) "Commission" means the Interstate Commerce Commission.

(7) "Corporation" means the National Railroad Passenger Corporation created under title III of this Act.

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