Durbin Criticizes Plan To Cut Amtrak Funding
NORMAL, Ill. (AP) - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin says a plan to cut Amtrak funding by 60 percent and block the rail line from using federal money for state-supported routes like those that crisscross Illinois would hurt the state.
Durbin talked about the cuts proposed by a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee during a stop Tuesday in Normal.
Durbin says the plan would eliminate eight of the 10 trains that now stop at the station in Normal each day. Other stops in many smaller cities around the state would be cut, too.
The senator also says the cuts would cost many of Amtrak's 1,800 employees in the state their jobs.
Amtrak service is often criticized for its reliance on federal subsidies and regularly targeted for funding cuts.
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