Mica adjusts stance on Amtrak, NEC, HSR
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefRep. John Mica (R-Fla.) on Tuesday said he no longer seeks privatization of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, and will support efforts to bring the NEC up to true high speed rail standards.
The chairman of the House Transportation Committee, addressing the U.S. High Speed Rail Association in New York, acknowledged Congress was reluctant to privatize the NEC, in effect thwarting any HSR progress between Boston and Washington, which Mica believes is the top U.S. HSR opportunity.
“I’m willing to compromise,” said Mica (pictured at left). “I could probably pass just about anything in committee, but I want to make something happen." Mica said he would try to funnel money from any other failed rail projects into the NEC, an oblique reference to his skepticism of California’s proposed 700-mile statewide HSR system.
More directly, Mica plans hold a hearing next month to determine whether the California plan or other U.S. HSR proposals are worthwhile.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), an ardent supporter of Amtrak, said he was pleased by Mica’s shift, given the latter’s reputation as a harsh Amtrak critic. “I think, I hope, we have agreement that Amtrak has to be the main vehicle” for HSR in the Northeast, Nadler said.
