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Statement About Decision To Continue the Turbotrain Experiment

October 12, 1970

THIS ADMINISTRATION has been trying to apply some of the space age technology and expertise to practical problems such as rail transportation. To this end, Secretary of Transportation John Volpe has recommended--and I have agreed--that we should continue the Turbotrain demonstration experiment beyond its scheduled October 22 termination date. I know that this experiment-which reaches from Boston to New York-is important to Connecticut and I thought you would like to know what we are doing about it.

While the final details are yet to be worked out, we are hopeful that within approximately 3 months the Department of Transportation and its Federal Railroad Administration will be able to consummate an agreement with United Aircraft Corporation and the Penn Central Railroad to develop an expanded demonstration; one that would possibly involve additional cars as well as changes in design to improve the dependability of the service.

The rationale behind our decision is this: We have had a double benefit from the Turbotrain program. In addition to conducting a successful experiment, proving that new, clean, fast, safe trains will be used by the traveling public, we have also provided a service that has come to be accepted, used, and counted on. The service provides jobs, it contributes to the economy, it is an experiment that succeeded to the point where it is now almost a necessity. It would be wrong to flatly discontinue the service simply because the Railroad Administration has proved its point.

There has been great interest in the Turbotrain throughout the Northeast-Governor Dempsey, Governor Rockefeller, and Governor Sargent have all been enthusiastic about it. And we intend to retain the service, save the jobs, and continue to fill the public need.

And I want to point out how much I appreciate the great interest and great effort your Congressmen Lowell Weicker and Tom Meskill have played in working to find solutions for our transportation problems. Connecticut can be very proud of what they have done on this--and on a great many other issues that we face today.

Note: The statement was released at Stamford, Conn.

Richard Nixon, Statement About Decision To Continue the Turbotrain Experiment Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/241030

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