U.S. Senate passes railway improvement bill

WASHINGTON, Oct 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved a sweeping blueprint for improving passenger rail service that includes industry safety measures expedited as a result of the nation's worst rail crash in 15 years.

Congress had not authorized a comprehensive rail financing and safety upgrade in more than a decade but the initiative passed easily with bipartisan support and sent to the White House for the president's signature.

The legislation, which includes $13 billion for Amtrak over five years for operating needs, capital projects and debt reduction, was approved by the House of Representatives last week.

The White House and Congress have wrangled over annual subsidies for money-losing Amtrak and aides to President George W. Bush threatened a veto of the House rail bill earlier this year.

But the White House did not renew its opposition when the measure reached the Senate, which approved the bill, 74-to-24.

In addition, powerful freight railroads support the measure.

Proposed safety improvements in the wake of the Sept. 12 collision between a commuter train and a freight train in California that killed 25 people pushed the bill toward final passage.

Safety improvements require railroads to develop plans for equipping more railroads with anti-collision systems by 2015. Such a system would have prevented the California crash, Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Joseph Boardman has said.

The legislation also caps weekly hours that rail crews can work and adds money for more federal safety inspectors.

The legislation also authorizes:

- The Transportation Department to consider private investment and development of high-speed rail lines.

- $1.9 billion in grants to states for developing passenger rail service.

- $1.5 billion in spending for maintenance on public transit in the Washington, D.C., area over 10 years. (Reporting by John Crawley, editing by Anthony Boadle)