WASHINGTON — Raton Pass may lose the Southwest Chief.
In a 16-slide Power Point presentation he delivered to Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico lawmakers on June 19, Amtrak President Richard Anderson talked about several ways that passenger train service would be cut for the famed mountain route.
Sources familiar with the meeting say Anderson used the gathering to explain the cut in the context of a $3 million match to a $16 million federal Transportation Infrastructure Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant won by Colfax County, N.M., that would continue rehabilitation of the Southwest Chief’s route. Amtrak declined the apply the $3 million.
Anderson said he offered “service modification scenarios” under which communities served by the Chicago-to-Los Angeles train would not lose service if Amtrak stopped traversing what Anderson calls the “sole use segment” between Trinidad, Colo., and Albuquerque, N.M.
They include:
•A Los Angeles to Albuquerque rail segment — daylight or overnight train
•A bus bridge between La Junta, Colo., or Dodge City, Kan.
•An overnight or daylight train between La Junta or Dodge City and Chicago.
The statement on one of the final slides that “Amtrak will share these alternatives and possible implementation schedules with Congress and other stakeholders this summer” indicates that Amtrak intends to make changes on the route because that is its prerogative.
A letter from 11 federal legislators reacting to an April letter from Amtrak urging Anderson to supply the match prompted Anderson’s presentation. Trains News Wire is attempting to confirm exactly who attended the meeting.
In a document that purports to present a dispassionate view of the Southwest Chief’s performance, only fully allocated costs — not revenue — are discussed, and like the earlier letter, it never mentions passenger-miles or makes any attempt to explain what expenses contributed to a $55,969,969 “FY 17 Ops loss” it says the train incurred.
Ironically, the presentation also puts the cost of a “5-year capital plan” at $30 million to $50 million” even though Amtrak’s $3 million match would leverage the $16 million federal money, plus more than $6 million from communities and other stakeholders, including BNSF Railway, which has agreed to maintain rehabilitated trackage for 20 years.
As outlined in Trains August 2018 Passenger column, “Southwest Chief at risk?” the train ranked fifth among all Amtrak corridors and route in passenger-miles (over 313 million in 2017) and delivered revenues of $43.5 million. Of this, $19.7 million was sleeping-car revenue, which would virtually disappear if passengers are subjected to a mid-route bus ride in “dedicated, high-quality, Amtrak chartered bus service” that was touted in the presentation.
“This is the first time that a management team has ever come out against continuing services Amtrak currently provides; they are ready to take apart the long distance system,” former Amtrak president David Gunn told Trains News Wire earlier this month.
Indeed, Anderson’s presentation ranked every long-distance train in three categories: ridership, operating loss, and loss per rider, but not revenue or passenger-miles. This potentially sets the stage for a truncation strategy of other routes, even though Chief Commercial Officer Stephen Gardner told a Washington hearing last month that the company had no plans to alter its current route structure in future authorizations.
Colorado Rail Passenger Association president Jim Souby, who also viewed the presentation, noted that it “dodges the issue of who is on the train and where they are going” in a “Southwest Chief Ridership Across Route Portions” table that subdivides travel within and between west, central, and east segments arbitrarily divided at Albuquerque and Hutchinson, Kan.
“It’s dishonorable and dishonest,” ex-Amtrak president Joe Boardman told Trains News Wire after it was forwarded to him.
Trains News Wire has asked for further clarifications from Amtrak, but the company had yet to respond as of 2 p.m. Central time.
Roger Williams—I am not defending the Heritage Foundation or making any kind of political statement. I was just stating a fact, one that most people would find surprising. I know I find it surprising.
Jeffrey Stack, if you do your research on how the Heritage Foundation views Amtrak,then I think you will see that they have united against it,irregardless of how one of the original co-founders felt about Amtrak. I am not trying to single out just the Heritage Foundation,for they are only one of several groups that have an anti-Amtrak agenda.
Roger Williams—Believe it or not, the Heritage Foundation was co-founded by one of Amtrak’s supporters, Paul Weyrich. Whether or not you agree with his other views, he was a supporter of passenger rail transportation, including Amtrak. And, he was a member on the Amtrak Reform Council, which supported some form of subsidized passenger train service (Amtrak or otherwise).
Ken Marx, It might surprise you to know that I have always considered myself a conservative as well,although as I get older I may have become somewhat more of a moderate. I have voted Republican every election since 1980 and yes, that includes Trump as well (mainly because there were no other good choices). However,if I feel like the Republicans or Trump for that matter are guilty of collusion,then I will call them out on it. I tend to call it as I see it and the way that I see it,Trump and his cohorts are bound and determined to sabotage Amtrak this time around. You are entitled to your opinions as I am also entitled to mine.
If you disagree with the current AMTRAK CEO’s treatment of the Southwest Chief, please convert your thoughts via email. Bring up AMTRAK.com. and look in the lower right corner for “comments”. And then comment.
Anderson seems to come from the same group that lives in D.C., both R and D. They all forget the work for us.
Bus? No thanks. All that sleeper traffic will go away and the airlines gain the difference. Say, wasn’t the current Amtrak chief an airline guy????
As foreign tourists, my wife and I had travelled aboard the Southwest Chief on several occasions, westbound and eastbound as well, from 1989 to 2002. This magnificent train led us to know great pieces of railroading, for instance the sight of the SWC from Lamy to Las Vegas (NM) climbing the Gloria’s slope in a series of tight curves and counter-curves. It would be a great pity that this only successor to the famous Super Chief and El Capitan be moved away from the historic route or replaced by one or two other trains or worse cancelled for good. But of course I quite realize that the nature of the problem to be solved in connection with the future of this train is more economic than sentimental.
Michel Defranchi
Roger Williams
I get that you hate Trump and the Heritage Foundation. You work them into your comments every way you can. I am a Trump supporter and a Heritage Foundation member and pay a lot of attention to both, but somehow have missed their negative views about Amtrak. Please do us all a favor and provide some actual quotes.
Don’t write off conservatives in regard to railroading and specifically passenger trains. We ride the train as often as we can, but we recognize that there are a number of things Amtrak could do to improve itself and actually build a national network by adding routes and frequencies. Simply put, the train usually doesn’t go where we need to go. Reviving the Desert Wind is a great idea. Adding a route from North Texas to Colorado has never been considered, but if it was in place, it could get a lot of riders and connect with four other trains. These are just examples, and I’m just one of those deplorable conservatives, and I support Amtrak.
Right, I’m gonna pay for a train ride and spend the night on a bus? Anderson has his head somewhere besides running a passenger RAILROAD.
It’s a shame and a disgrace when a hobby and pastime becomes a political football and gets dragged into the muck and mire of Washington politics and any local politics for that matter. We all love trains, love to watch them roll by read up on the history and science of them and have the enjoyable hobby of train watching as an escape from the craziness and nonsense of this world, As I have mentioned in another comment on another article since when did our hobby and enjoyment turn into such a nuisance and pain for others and now on the subject of which trains to save and not save and of course how crazy some of us are, it has gone too far. Name calling and calling people out over a hobby has gotten too far. We are all passionate about trains and we all love them but lets not bring politics or name calling into this discussion but sad to say in this crazy world we live in it has become a sad day and chapter when we as train lovers have to depend on the very politicans and policy makers who hold the future of what we love in their hands and people who stoop to all levels to get their point across. While it is true we all are entitled to our opinions and are free to voice and hold them, let us not get go so far as to start making the hobby into a hate issue or dividing our group. Rather let us all join together in a common ground to work together and save and find solutions on how to keep the very thing we love to follow and watch running for now and future generations to watch and enjoy. Its a hobby and diversion from the pressures of everyday life lets keep it that way
Friend Anderson – If I elect to ride one of your trains, I want to ride the train – not some stinking “bus bridge.” Isn’t it a railroad you’re supposed to be running????
Anderson is just like everyone else in Washington: kill Amtrak, except for the Northeast Corridor. Screw the public.
Charles Landey, Those of us that are facing reality are only using a descriptive word that applies to the people that we are writing about. Comparing what we are writing to the degrading slang terms that you mentioned at the end of your comment is completely ludicrous.
If Raton and Glorietta passes were good enough for Santa Fe’s glorious streamliners including the Super Chief ,then it is certainly good enough for Amtrak and any other future service (such as El Paso-Albuquerque-Denver). More trains is what is needed here,which would distribute out the cost to all trains running on that section. It is unthinkable that after 140 years of constant passenger trains over Raton,that Richard Anderson can come in and end it all without having to answer to anyone for his actions.
Stick a 550-mile bus ride between two somewhere-to-nowhere rail segments? Reroute the CZ via Wyoming? Pretty clear to me that Anderson has gotten his marching orders from the top.
Nobody is saying switching to the transcon would be easy but it is the most practical way to salvage this service. It’s been not quite 30 years since the BROADWAY & CAPITOL were switched to new routes and about the same time TRAINS listed several routes that were endangered for route related reasons namely the CHIEF, SILVER STAR and CARDINAL. On occasion the CHIEF has been rerouted on the transcon and Albuquerque was served by a back up move so it can be done’
My two cents:
1. Run it over the transcon.
2. West of Albuquerque decjde on whether to run it close to its present schedule on the current route or reroute it via El Paso and Tuscon with a daylight scheduke Tuscon-LA. It would connect with an adjusted SUNSET at El Paso.
3. Run a bridge bus Newton to Albuquerque servicing all the current stops.
4. Start preparing constructive adjustments for the SUNSET, EAGLE and HEARTLAND FLYER because they are next.
Mr. Charles Landry, alive but ( perhaps?) you are not well, make my day. In my sixty years in the railroad industry I’ve never had the pleasure of hearing about you as a managerial leader; my loss. Newswire is a place for debate, positive and negative and I would be the first to award you the “best of negative” I love your ability to engender controversy and reinforce the beliefs that that so many post in disagreement to what some may find purposeful jabs. You should well enjoy my praise as you now take pleasure in achieving such notoriety.
A reroute of the SWC via Amarillo could work, but at the cost of much more potential for freight interference; and of course BNSF would raise all kinds of obstacles. If continued service to Western Kansas/Eastern Colorado points is politically desired, and the traffic volume could justify rail, perhaps a Denver-La Junta-Kansas City state-subsidized route could be added. Looks like Albuquerque would be stuck at the end of a short bus connection, like Phoenix.
With all due respect, if everyone thinks it is a simple thing to move the Southwest Chief to the Transcon, you are dreaming. There are no station facilities west of Wichita to Belen (and no, the Rail Runner platform doesn’t count; it is in the wrong place), and the delays will be even worse than they are now.
And is the bus really an option? Amtrak needs to do a little more focus on the number of passengers on the train between Albuquerque and Kansas City now. One bus isn’t going to hack it. They will need multiple sections so to speak. Especially on summer nights when they load up 200 Boy Scouts at Raton.
This is madness. Anderson is trying to kill the train altogether for no good reason. Once he kills the Southwest Chief, the rest are goners.
The Southern Transcon awaits.
Is Amtrak contractually obligated to spend this money? If so, then they should meet their obligations. If they don’t they can be sued.
If they are not contractually obligated, I don’t blame them for wanting out. It doesn’t make economic sense to maintain this railroad for 2 transcontinental trains per day that could just as easily go via Amarillo. Those of you who have seen my posts know I support Amtrak’s long distance services, but wasteful spending gives Amtrak’s critics verbal ammunition.
I would suggest rerouting the Chief via Amarillo and filling in the gaps in the current route with Albuquerque-Denver and Wichita-Pueblo-Denver bus connections. Perhaps a schedule revision that puts these bus connections in daylight would be in order. Put the 2 nights on the Chicago-Kansas City and Albuquerque-Flagstaff segments. This would also allow same day connections to the Phoenix and the Grand Canyon from the East and would allow daytime bus connections to Las Vegas from Kingman and Bakersfield (and the San Joaquins) from Barstow.
I do think there is potential for a Denver-El Paso corridor service, but Raton pass is too slow due to curves. A better solution is bus service between Albuquerque and Trinidad. I know some don’t think this is as good but it seems to be working between Bakersfield and LA.
My overall view may well be deemed as a “daydream”, but I’ll propose it anyway. At some point the American people are going to have to decide whether or not they really WANT train service. If so, then the only intelligent way to proceed is the way Europe and Asia have led–some dedicated passenger only track, and some trains NOT for high speed service. Unfortunately, these are not the days of the 40’s and 50’s where train service actually WAS SERVICE. (I would love to see that type of service return.) If the public wants train service, they it is going to have to pay for it. Take some of the money from the highway fund, and some from the airways, and put it toward rail infrastructure. That’s the only way the system is going to work. Having Congress involved and meddling with Amtrak as a “toy” every year will NEVER produce anything worthwhile. The “nickle and dime” approach to costs, and whether the exorbitant costs for sleeping accommodations and meals are losing or making money isn’t the real question or answer. It’s merely a method for attempting to justify the removal of another service.
I’ve ridden the Chief several times, and it was hard to get a seat or a roomette. I’ve had to change plans on several occasions because rooms were not available. That hardly qualifies as a “money losing” situation. If the train is that booked, maybe it’s time to add a second daily train in each direction. Or, perhaps every other day. Then the nonsense about all the loses would go away. This isn’t the only train in jeopardy, but the problem and the excuses are the same.
This is insane; Amtrak would, essentially, be writing off all the Midwest-SoCal first-class trade, and a big chunk of through coach traffic as well. The tri-weekly Eagle-Sunset car could never make up the slack. Anderson should be booted for even flirting with the idea.
Revenue and passenger miles mean nothing if your goal is to not generate a loss.