Michael Dukakis to discuss high-speed rail

06 February 2002 | Former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, now acting chair of Amtrak’s board of directors, will visit campus Friday, Feb. 8 to talk about high-speed rail.

The guest of the Institute of Urban and Regional Development and the UC Transportation Center, Dukakis will hold a seminar about a first-class high-speed rail network that he believes is the answer to the nation’s transportation crisis. He will field questions after his presention, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in the Bechtel Engineering Center’s Sibley Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

The talk follows on the heels of an announcement by Amtrak that it needs $1.2 billion in federal funds for fiscal year 2003; without the funds, the national passenger railroad may cut long-distance train service next fall. Dukakis has stumped for increased funding and public support for Amtrak and high-speed rail.

A veteran of the Massachusetts legislature and three-term governor of Massachusetts, Dukakis was the 1988 Democratic candidate for president, running against George Bush.