Amtrak at the end of the line....maybe

I cannot remember where I heard this, but I heard the only way Amtrak will stay alive is if it becomes privatized and subsidized by private investors and a little support from the gov't.

Fred
 
That sounds awfully iffy to me considering that pasenger rail in America is a long time loss maker. That is why Amtrak was set up to keep something alive after the various companies ditched passneger trains for goods. Things are veb nore challenging now that usage is up.
 
prre6 said:
I cannot remember where I heard this, but I heard the only way Amtrak will stay alive is if it becomes privatized and subsidized by private investors and a little support from the gov't.

Fred
Click to expand...

well duh! gov cant run a business. the only business the gov't can run is that of taking other's money!

and no that isnt political speak, that is the truth of governments throughout history and always will be.


and to the above post: the reason the rrs ditched passenger was because of - government. regulation squeezed the profitability out of it.
 
norfolksouthern37 said:
well duh! gov cant run a business. the only business the gov't can run is that of taking other's money!

and no that isnt political speak, that is the truth of governments throughout history and always will be.


and to the above post: the reason the rrs ditched passenger was because of - government. regulation squeezed the profitability out of it.
Click to expand...

I think the difficulty is if its simple then businesses can do it. Unfortunately life isn't always simple. For example a lot of manufacturing jobs are moving to china from a business point of view its simple economics but what happens to the unemployed in the US etc?

Cheerio John
 
unfortunately, we have a terrible infrastructure in all rail air and road.

airlines for instance are only really profiting because of subsidies, if Amtrak were turned over to a private company(ies) it would probably need the same.

other than that, we got so called passenger railroads that go nowhere, and its too difficult to transfer from a bus to a plane or train or from train to plane.
 
OUTRAGEOUS!!!!!!

"After 40 years of costly and wasteful Soviet-style operations under Amtrak"

WHAT????????

Amtrak is not wasteful. And I rode amtrak at least 4 times, and I have to say their quality of service is great! If I could give that guy a call, I would give him a piece of my mind.

how is Amtrak wasteful? It gives people the ride of their life through our beautiful country. Who wouldn't want to see the rocky mountains up close? WHo wouldn't want to see the big mountains in the Marias Pass?

It just doesn't make any sense. Has thE guy who made this statement even considered this---

"In fact, U.S. train travel is enjoying a remarkable surge in popularity — everywhere."

This makes me furious...
 
"..proposed legislation that would open the door to private competition on state-supported routes and other services now managed by Amtrak..."

i think he means this. referencing the fact that a private carriers cannot compete with Amtrak by law.

IMO that is kinda 'Soviet' because its an all or nothing.
 
norfolksouthern37 said:
..proposed legislation that would open the door to private competition on state-supported routes and other services now managed by Amtrak..."

<snip>
Click to expand...

What it really means is.... Congress, in Washington....both parties....will allow the States to sell the infrastructure to $$$ "friends"... for pennies on the dollar. Then the Corporations will charge YOU, by State taxes. to maintain the infrastructure.

It is already being done in Indiana on a Toll Road that they sold to a foreign government and the State, with income taxes, sales taxes, maintains the road while the owning government collects the tolls. Look it up.

Simple as that.

Sorry, I did not plan on getting political debate.

Regards,
Ron
 
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Axe Amtrak...long overdue. And this guy:
“We believe part of the increase is the improvement in the economy,” said Marc Magliari, a spokesperson in Amtrak’s Chicago office.

What improvement in the economy? In China, maybe!:eek:
 
Not digging too far into the numbers, but this seems to be the problem with Amtrak:

1) No way around this, but planes are just faster for long trips.
2) Airlines offer more direct options.
3) Although I just shot this down looking for a hypothetical Tampa-Baltimore ticket for today's departures, Amtrak's fares tend to not be competitive with the airlines.
4) From everything I've heard, NEC basically carries the cost of operating the rest of the system. (NEC is profitable, the rest of the system, not so)

Why is NEC profitable?

1) Shorter hauls - a 2-3 hour train ride is MUCH faster than a 1-hour flight when you factor in jacking around with the airlines and the TSA.
2) Airports tend to be out of the way (where are you going to find A LOT of land to build an airport) vs. train tracks go right through (or under) the middle of the city. Add in your commute tim to/from the airport.
3) Population density. LOTS more people to ride the trains.

Although I'd hate to see the end of Amtrak (and dread the only other non-airline alternative, the StrayHound), to be truly profitable, they would need to stick to what they do where they can actually MAKE money.

---Scott
 
if you have to be there in a hurry, i say go by plane. but...

a few weeks ago i took a train trip from Tampa, FL to Philadelphia, PA. thats a 23 hour ride. got a room on a viewliner. the service was excellent, the food was great, i had no complaints about the trip at all. i had full breakfast, lunch and dinner in the dining car, with a great menu. all of this included in the price of my roomette. there is no way i could equate the trip to being unpleasant or bad. i have heard horror stories about amtrak, but i did not experience one on this trip. i cannot stress enough how the staff made every effort to make sure the trip was enjoyable, from getting the ticket and boarding the train, to arriving and getting off the train at the final stop.

now if i were going by plane it might have taken 2:40 for the actual flight, but i would have to arrive hours early at the airport either way to check baggage and be violated at the security checkpoints and herded around like cattle. i would have received a package of peanuts on the way. if i wanted to eat or anything while i waited almost the duration of the flight to go through the checkpoints i would have to buy food available at the airport, with $8 bottles of water and $12 sandwiches not worth $2. i would get there quick, but i would have spent nearly the same amount of money on a direct flight as i did on the sleeper room on the train.
 
I use Amtrak to travel between Kansas City and St. Louis. Even with ridership at an all time high on this route you're lucky to see more than 3 or 4 coaches on the train. The train trip takes a little over 4 hours but compared to shorter drive/fly times it a much better experience. Factor in driving to the airport, parking a mile away, waiting for a shuttle to the gate, dealing with security, setting on the tarmac, etc. the entire trip takes about the same amount of time as flying. If I plan ahead a couple of weeks I can get the ticket for around $35 one way. Driving is more expensive and a hassle. I-70 is way to congested between the two cities and it seems you always see a couple of very serious accidents.

If Amtrak were to disappear from this route I'm not sure private business would see a viable business model to sustain service. I'm willing to pay more for my train service whether it be higher ticket prices or through taxes. I just don't want to see my route disappear.
 
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dricketts said:
I'm willing to pay more for my train service whether it be higher ticket prices or through taxes. I just don't want to see my route disappear.
Click to expand...

And there lies the problem, the taxes you would be willing to pay for your convenience would not just be levied on you, but on everyone. Higher ticket prices would be more fair, but probably much higher than you would be willing to pay.
 
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