(Washington, DC) - Amtrak announced that it had canceled north and southbound Auto Train service this week, at least until this Friday, when cracks were discovered in the under frames of the auto carriers during a routine inspection.

Congresswoman Corrine Brown made the following statement:

"As the Railroad House subcommittee chair, I was particularly disturbed to hear about structural damage in Amtrak's Auto Service.  This service, which carries passengers and their automobiles between Lorton, Virginia, and Sanford, Florida (which is in my congressional district), is utilized by thousands of travelers every year. Yet in this instance, the mechanical difficulty led to an unfortunate inconvenience for the 160 train passengers who planned to return to their homes via train.

However, I found it most vindicating to see that to make the repairs and properly restore  service as soon as possible, Amtrak decided to dispatch not only materials but also deploy welders from the Beech Grove, Indiana work station to provide emergency maintenance.  This clearly demonstrates that the Beach Grove Amtrak facility has the type of high quality craftsmanship necessary to quickly return much needed Amtrak trains to service.

Just last year in fact, I toured the Beech Grove Amtrak facility with Congressman Andre Carson.   The tour showcased an experienced and loyal workforce, with the capacity to repair Amtrak equipment.  We stated at the time that the Indiana Amtrak facility’s employees are highly skilled, do outstanding work, and possess a proven labor force with the capability to take on additional work.  This was clearly demonstrated in this instance, in which the Indiana facility’s workers were sent to repair the trains in Sanford, Florida.  And to ensure that this facility was not forced to relocate, my transportation committee colleague, Chairman James Oberstar and I inserted language in the Amtrak Reauthorization bill to direct the Amtrak Inspector General to investigate the capabilities and utilization of Beech Grove and other Amtrak maintenance facilities, to ensure that this facility is not closed."

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