Pressured by Obama, Biden, Amtrak Spent Millions on Slower Acelas

Cruz Investigation Reveals How Delays and Overengineering Cost Taxpayers $287 million

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) released an investigative report examining how the Obama-Biden administration's handling of the NextGen Acela trains incurred decade-long delays that cost American taxpayers $287 million, only to produce brand-new trains that typically operate about 10 minutes slower than the original Acelas.

The report presents new findings detailing a botched joint procurement effort, in which the administration attempted to deploy the same train on both the Northeast Corridor - with segments of track dating back to the 1830s - and California's not yet built high-speed rail system, wasting more than 18 months in the process and ignoring recommendations from manufacturers. By putting the train literally before the tracks, the administration used taxpayer subsidies to buy an overengineered train that wouldn't reach its full potential without tens of billions of dollars in infrastructure improvements.

Discussing the report, Sen. Cruz said: "The report exposes how the Obama-Biden administration promised Americans high-speed rail and failed for over a decade to deliver it. Against the advice of experts and manufacturers, the administration awarded an over-budget high-speed train contract without a workable plan for deployment. We cannot continue to frivolously use millions of taxpayer dollars without producing an improved passenger rail system."

Read the full report HERE.

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