Earlier this month, Congress passed and the President signed into law the [fiscal year] 2019 Appropriations Act, which included critical funding for Amtrak and intercity passenger rail. The legislation set aside at least $50 million of its National Network grant for improvements to the Southwest Chief route. Amtrak is using $3 million of these funds to match a $16 million grant successfully sought by these states, counties and cities and awarded to Colfax County, N.M. The grant and matching funds from the partners will result in an investment of more than $26 million.
Amtrak and BNSF Railway began community discussions regarding needed route safety and other infrastructure improvements in 2011. Since then, more than $80 million has been committed from U.S. Department of Transportation grant programs, state and local governments, Amtrak and BNSF.
Amtrak will use the newly available federal capital funding in coordination with these stakeholders to continue needed work on the next route segment in New Mexico.
Amtrak is also working on a long-term financial plan with our state and local partners to address the unique challenges of this route, particularly where Amtrak is the only user of these BNSF tracks in Colorado and New Mexico.
The Southwest Chief, Amtrak trains 3 and 4, provides a daily service between Chicago and Los Angeles and is the shortest and fastest Amtrak route between those cities.
— An Amtrak news release. Feb. 27, 2019.
Though not mentioned in the press release, Amtrak was aware as early as last fall of the $50 million infrastructure set-aside for the Southwest Chief route in draft language for the 2019 appropriation. But management waited until the long-delayed government funding bill was passed, rather than voluntarily supply its $3 million match to a federal grant that was approved last summer, thus delaying the improvements. In referring to “the unique challenges of this route,” the company hints that although the Chief is a national network train and is getting the $50 million from congress, Amtrak still may ask for some unspecified additional financial help from “our state and local partners,” the same contributors who Amtrak turned its back on when it initially denied the match. — Bob Johnston
— Updated Feb. 27, 2019, 4 p.m. Central time.
You got your money Amtrak use it for the Chief and Zephyr and STOP WASTING IT ON AIRLINE LUXURIES! here is what needs to be done. BNSF upgrade the tracks from Kansas to Pueblo and add Pueblo, New Mexico take over management and remove all Semaphore Arms except those at Lamy and French and upgrade the signals from south of Lamy to Belen because Railrunner also uses these tracks and upgrade the track from Trinidad to Lamy, and Colorado and the DOT take over Ranton Pass and upgrade everything from Trinidad to Pueblo. I forgot Amtrak here is what you do Dispatch everything buy BNSF’s rules and go by DOT regulations since you are a unit of the DOT not a corporation and last but not least FIRE ANDERSON! and replace him with a railroader. If this is done we can save the Chief.
“Our state and local partners?” There hasn’t been much partnering going on but I guess that means Amtrak wants more money.
Truncate the Chief at OKC via KC. Make it an extension of the Heartland Flyer. Run a Denver El Paso section connecting with the Sunset Limited on the west end.. We have millions of people in the US lacking daytime consistent corridor service. Which is more important than serving a few hundred annually.
I don’t understand why the states wouldn’t just purchase the line accept the BNSF upgrade amount in return for not charging usage but then pay Amtraks portion so they can bill Amtrak for use. Seems to me that would have kept Amtrak happier as well as preserve the line more for other railroad or rail passenger carrier uses in the future. The way it is now, BNSF retains ownership and dispatch rights, the states and Amtrak are paying to support it………..and if I had to guess Amtrak is probably paying a daily usage fee on top.