Overall, the Federal Railroad Administration budget of $2.9 billion is $218 million below fiscal year 2018 and $1.9 billion above the president’s budget request.
The Federal Transit Administration gets a cut of $67 million from last year’s budget, but at $13.4 billion, is funded $2.3 billion higher than the president wanted. Transit infrastructure grants get $700 million and capital investment grants are funded at $2.6 billion.
National infrastructure investments, in the form of TIGER or BUILD grants, are budgeted at $900 million, which is a $600 million reduction from fiscal 2018. The funding is to be allocated equally to rural and urban areas.
By comparison, the Federal Highway Administration gets an increase of $1.8 billion over last year.
The bill includes no further funding for California’s high speed rail project.
Jeffery, also take a close look at the commuter cars in Chicago. Notice the difference in them and most Superliner cars? Again, the end doors are on the lower level, not exposed on the upper level.
Jeffery and Penelope, The reason that ATSF didn’t have problems with the exhaust is that ATSF used a transition car that was single level to bi-level. Such as the coach-dorm cars or the baggage-dorm cars. The doors were on the lower level and not exposed like Amtrak runs the Superliners. Avoid “Bedroom A” if at all possible if it is at the front of the train.
Penelope, it sounds more like a maintenance problem but may also a design problem as well. Santa Fe operated multilevel cars for years and I don’t recall that compliant being brought up. Also, multilevel cars are a staple in commuter service in Chicago; no complaints about those cars that I’ve heard of either. As for access to the entire train, that may be something that isn’t doable from a practical sense nor necessary as a safety concern.
No more Superliners!!! Viewliner II and Siemens single-level passenger cars are more versatile system wide. True transcontinental trains would be feasible with one-seat accommodations between New York and the Pacific Coast and Gulf Coast. If not whole trains, at least through sleeping cars could be offered again. Passengers with mobility issues, be they handicapped or frail, would have access to the whole train rather than be confined to the lower level of an assigned Superliner. Full-length dome lounge cars can be manufactured for western trains where Superliners now roam.
Passengers in the lead Superliner often have to breathe in the diesel fumes from the locomotives. The exhaust enters through the crevices of the forward entryway although the door is shut. My mother and I endured the pollution in the lead Superliner sleeping car on “The Coast Starlight”, exasperating our asthma. If you have ever been to the forward end of a dome on a train, you would notice a black film accumulated on the front window from the locomotive exhaust. That is what enters the lead Superliner unshielded. That problem would not exist on single-level cars.
Random thoughts based on the below:
-elevators already exist for access to second level (Alaska Railroad, Colorado Railcars I believe was the manufacturer)
-the feds spend a lot of money directly subsidizing rural air service. Very expensive. And with USPS bypass mail, air and other carriers get hefty subsidies to operate, with little overall accountability (ie the cash strapped USPS still has to pay for this service that they don’t directly control)
-given all
The subsidies for air, I don’t think there is any truly “profitable” airline—not if the airline was fully responsible for all costs…
What bring back Amtrak Timetable books and Route Guide in sleeping cars. Amtrak don’t need too be so cheap.
Put the new viewliner diners with full meal service back on the Lakeshore; restore full meals on 91/92, and restore the Capital’s full meal service.
Rode 97/98 between Orlando/Ft. Lauderdale this week. Very pleased-train clean and crew polite and quite professional. Enjoyed breakfast in the new viewliner diner. Rode Brightline, aka, Virgin America-wonderful.
Brightline MUST get to Orlando. Seiman’s cars are beautiful; all Amfleet cars should be replaced on corridor and long distance trains with Seimans. Also, talked with Bombardier folks on SunRail. Seems design in progress and funding in place for phase 3, into OIA(MCO) to connect with Brightline.
And in addition to new Superliners, how about showing a strategic business plan that articulates how Amtrak will grow revenue through service expansions, where it makes sense, particularly over existing routes, while also continuing to control costs? How about also restoring service over the long-suspended Gulf Coast route from New Orleans to Jacksonville? How about also publishing an organization chart so we can see who is responsible for what at Amtrak and enable us to see how extensive Amtrak’s overhead is.
Great News about 1.9 Billion Dollars Amtrak is getting this again about Time. Amtrak gets good amount of money. Now Amtrak spend it wisely, like buy New Superliner Car Order.
GERALD – “The people who ride or rode Amtrak in the past DO NOT FLY” is your post.
Well, the people who do not fly don’t seem to be a lot of people, judging by the immense crowds I saw at BWI Thurgood Marshall Baltimore Airport last November, on my way to and from Nashville. I’d not design a rail service around people with a phobia about airplanes, because they’re few in number and fewer every year.
You’d best come up with a better reason for rail service.
By the way, I fly a lot and ride trains a lot. Both.
I have said this before & again, Govt doesn’t care about makin a profit. The California HSR is why government should not get involved in new construction of anything. Let private companies do it. And private companies only do it IF they see a profit in the future, ( Brightline) enough said! The debacle of California HSR is why govt doesn’t belong in makin anything!!! That officially killed any hopes of HSR, all over the country, even Brightline might have a harder time getting “bonds”.
That $1.9 Billion dollars is NOT for capital spending projects, that is just the amount needed to keep the system operating at current levels. If you want Amtrak to be able to purchase new equipment and/or replace exising equipment.
To reply to Charles statement below, the people that ride and or rode Amtrak in the past DO NOT FLY, therefore you can not compare passenger loading at a place like BNA vs the former Amtrak Nashville service, that’s just a known fact…so stop comparing apples to oranges.
Michael – You and Jim both have your good arguments. Here’s how I would put it from my perspective. My question is (disregarding the $$$$ issue) has Amtrak been successful, growing transportation proving itself? Is there a way for Amtrak to become a significant factor in US transportation? My answer is yes, definitely, in the various corridors, corridors in many parts of USA. Has Amtrak shown that it can grow into a sustainable transport mode in the LDs? No, except in comparison to VIA Rail Canada, which is far worse and has shrunk much more.
Michael’s first sentence is the key. Yes, Amtrak needs a subsidy, a very big one. The question is, does the subsidy accrue to a growing Amtrak or to a shrinking Amtrak.
As have posted, go to BNA Nashville International Airport. (From BNA, you can fly just about anywhere, direct or one change, like Dubai changing in London, or to Austin or to Denver direct, or to Providence with a change at Baltimore.) Count the people boarding at BNA in any given daytime hour. Then, dig up Amtrak’s records for ALL its boardings in ALL its years at Nashville, combined. I don’t have either number but I’ve always believed BNA’s one hour wins.
So what’s the point of a train to Nashville? So six people can get on southbound and six people can get on northbound at 2:00 AM? From Nashville, where would the train even go? To Atlanta, at a crawl over the Cumberland Plateau on a crowded single-track freight route owned by an anti-Amtrak railroad? What if the passenger is going somewhere else? How many trains connect at Atlanta?
Mr. Norton,
The idea Amtrak would make money was a political hack job. Very few modes of transportation break even, let alone make a profit. That is why the government subsidizes travel.
Lets put it in perspective. If you invested with your stock broker in 1971 and your portfolio is worth less today than 48 years later would you still do business with him? That’s what we have received from Amtrak. Nothing in 48 years. Appropriations do not matter. We still end up with Amtrak and its shrinking business model.