Record Ridership Puts Amtrak On Track For More Aid

Newhouse News ^ | 12/18/2007 | Robert Cohen

[Incorrigible]

One recent Amtrak convert is Bill Shearer, who was heading to the Metropark station in Iselin, N.J., from Washington's Union Station last week after two days of business meetings. Shearer said he has taken Amtrak for the last two years because "it's on time and I don't have to stand around airports forever. ... It's less hassle than flying or driving, plus I can do work on the train.''

Sing it brother.  I'm an Acela fan despite some infuriatingly late trains on occasion.

 

[Incorrigible]

Willie Green Memorial Bump

[pnh102]

I see no problem with funding Amtrak. But the idea that it is somehow going to be self-sustaining is silly. If passenger rail service was still profitable, we’d still have the private passenger rail companies that were the "parents" of Amtrak still in business.

[cripplecreek]

I prefer trains as well. Less hassle and I can watch the scenery go by.

[Jagman]

So let me get this straight: because AMTRAK has had a record year in terms of ridership (and obviously earned greater revenues from ticket sales), the Demos want to reward it with even greater subsidies?

You know, I had a pretty good year this year myself: don't I deserve a tax cut?

[NonValueAdded]

Well, lovely. I’m glad you like it. BTW, how much does it cost me each time you or Bill decide to take the train?

[CedarDave]

Agreed. One problem with those who say that the private sector should operate it is that the railroads own, maintain and operate the tracks Amtrak run on except for the northeast corridor. And without their reluctant cooperation (with a hammer from the government) there would be just a Boston-NY-Washington RR.

On the issue of subsidy, an operational farebox recovery of 70-80 percent might be possible if not for labor rules and debt interest payments. A far cry from Bill Richardson's half-billion boondoggle in NM where he is building a new railroad with the current operating portion carrying only 2,500 persons per day and projected farebox recovery only 7 to 9 percent. See keyword Richardson's Railroad.

[riverdawg]

Amtrak covers its operating costs on the densely traveled Northeast corridor. It does not cover the costs of operating the long-distance, cross-country routes. An example of an unprofitable “legacy” route is the old Southern (now Amtrak) Crescent that runs between New Orleans and Washington DC.

[CT-Freeper]

Sing it brother. I'm an Acela fan despite some infuriatingly late trains on occasion.

Yep, I've been doing lots of travel recently between New Haven and NYC, and I take Metro North rather than driving...it's much easier, even if it takes a little longer than driving sometimes.

Being able to relax, or do work on the train, makes it all worth it.

[jmyrlefuller]

Unless you live in the Northeast Corridor, I have found Amtrak to be useless. It’s no faster or less expensive than bus travel and serves far fewer cities.

[STONEWALLS]

....my wife and I used to take the train from Baltimore to New York....it was just so much easier....BTW I’m old enough to remember back in the 50s when trains and street cars were a handy way to get around...

[CedarDave]

Here is a video of the NM RailRunner burning money (or is it the other way around?). No passengers were harmed in the making of the video (requires Windows Media Player).

mms://wmscnn.stream.aol.com.edgestreams.net/cnn/us/2007/04/07/vo.nm.train.through.wildfire.krqe.ws.wmv

[ops33]

My sentiments exactly.

[Dead Corpse]

I'm still trying to figure out where in the Constitution it gives congress the power to GIVE money to Amtrak and like projects...

Isn't their doing so illegal?

[bobsatwork]

If my math is any good, Amtrak needs to raise ticket prices by just under 20 bucks to stop losing money (25.8M passengers, and losing 500M/year). If the passengers won’t pony up the dough, it isn’t a viable business.

[gracesdad]

My family took it from Lynchburg, Va., to Philly. Ran on time. Comfortable. Didn’t have to fool with traffic.

[RayChuang88]

There are four long-distance Amtrak routes that still make money for Amtrak, all west of the Mississippi: Coast Starlight from Seattle to Los Angeles, Southwest Chief from Los Angeles to Chicago, California Zephyr from Emeryville, CA (near Oakland, CA) to Chicago, and Empire Builder from either Seattle or Portland, OR to Chicago. These routes will likely be retained in the long term, because they are popular with Americans and foreign tourists.

[Incorrigible]

Like nearly everything else, it falls under the “Interstate Commerce” clause.

[jonascord]

Simply put, passenger rail service has NEVER been a break-even investment. Back when, freight was the big money earner, and federal subsidies via mail service filled in the gap that passenger service left. Bags of "out-of-town" mail would be loaded onto a mail car and sorted as the train moved.

A letter dropped in an "out-of-town" box in New York would be hand sorted into a bag in a mail car hitched to a Chicago train, and the bag would be on a platform in Goshen, Indiana before dark the next day. Mail cars also got robbed, since they were also used as traveling vaults.

Today, only perhaps 20%, nationwide, of railroad track is authorized for passenger service.

[Dead Corpse]

Subsidizing industries to the tune of BILLIONs in wasted tax payer money is no part of that.