CEREMONIAL CHRISTENING OF ACELA EXPRESS

UNION STATION, WASHINGTON, DC

On behalf of President Clinton, Vice President Gore and the United States Department of Transportation, I am delighted to participate in today=s official christening ceremony for Acela Express.

Acela Express is not only America=s fastest train; it is also the safest high-speed train ever builtCand the first to comply with the Federal Railroad Administration=s new ATier 2@crashworthiness standards.  And I want to acknowledge Administrator Jolene Molitoris, the FRA and Amtrak for their pioneering efforts to set a new world standard for rail safety.

High-speed rail is an essential part of President Clinton and Vice President Gore=s vision of how advanced technology can open up new possibilities for all Americans in this new century and new millennium.  In a speech he delivered to a governor=s meeting right here in Union Station earlier this year, the President said that AA high-speed rail system that guarantees our energy security, our safety and our strength, is important to the future of America.@

And speaking to the Amtrak Board of Directors four years ago, also right here in Union Station,Vice President Gore said Amtrak=s high-speed rail trainsets Aare ushering in a whole new way of traveling, using advanced and environmentally-sound technologies.@

Today=s inaugural run to New York and Boston symbolizes the beginning of a new era in American transportation, not only for the northeast, but eventually for the entire country. The bipartisan High Speed Rail Investment Act, now pending in Congress, calls for federal sponsorship to secure $10 billion dollars in private sector investment to develop high-speed rail corridors throughout the nation.

The Administration strongly supports this legislation.  And the U.S. Department of Transportation has designated 10 high-speed rail corridors passing through 28 states that will benefit if this legislation, is passed.  As we celebrate the successful launch of high-speed train travel in the northeast corridor today, I urge the Congress to swiftly act on the High Speed Rail Investment Act so that work can begin on similar projects across the country.

The potential benefits are enormous.  When regular service begins next month, high-speed Acela Express trains will immediately begin to transform transportation along the Northeast Corridor.  It will not only broaden travel options for millions of travelers, it will also help unclog highways and airports, and serve as an engine for economic growth throughout the northeast, generating thousands of jobs.

I am delighted to report that we expect Acela Express to relieve some airport congestion at New York=s LaGuardia and Boston=s Logan airports, as well as highway congestion on the nation=s busiest Interstate roadway, I-95.

High-speed rail will not only provide safe, reliable, environmentally friendly and congestion-free passenger transportation -- it will also help reconnect the core neighborhoods of our nation=s cities to the rest of the country.  High-speed rail can help reverse decades of neglect, creating new economic possibilities for urban centers that have yet to experience the full benefits of what has now become the longest economic boom in American history.