Lawmakers pledge to block Amtrak liquidation

A bipartisan group of 21 U.S. Senators pledged on Monday to block attempts to liquidate Amtrak and called on President Bush to reassure the railroad's creditors. The lawmakers, mainly from the Northeast, wrote to President Bush that the railroad's credit has been damaged since the Amtrak Reform Council made its recommendation for the liquidation of Amtrak earlier this month. On Nov. 9 the Amtrak Reform Council members found that the railroad would not meet its federal deadline for self sufficiency and voted 6-5 to either restructure or liquidate the railway. "Amtrak cannot be liquidated without the Senate's approval, and we will oppose any effort to do so," the lawmakers said in a letter dated Nov. 16. "We hope you will join with us in reassuring Amtrak's creditors that liquidation is not an option." "Amtrak's passenger rail service is an essential link in our transportation system -- and a strategic asset during times of national emergency," the letter to Bush said.