Has the USA shutdown affect Amtrak & any public transport?

[Red_Rattler]

No political opinions please

Has the USA shutdown affected Amtrak & any public transport?
And if they are not affected, could or would a default start affect public transport?

 

[RRSignal]

No political opinions please

Has the USA shutdown affected Amtrak & any public transport?
And if they are not affected, could or would a default start affect public transport?

It hasn't affected any operations that I know of. SEPTA and NJT and state-funded, so the Feds have little to do with them. Capital improvements are another matter, but SEPTA at least is trucking along fine. Amtrak is running at normal levels too. I don't think a default would affect any of them.

 

[whitepass]

Amtrak will run out of money to run, it's only a mater of time.

 

[rgcx]

Amtrak has the funds to cover expenses for 6 weeks; then ops will need to be curtailed.

 

[Red_Rattler]

Without giving trying to give a political opinion, let's hope BOTH sides stop acting like little children, act sensibly and resolve it quickly.
It seems as though it will affect Amtrak at some stage. (Oops, I didn't mean to offend little children - children would have probably had it solved within one day!)

 

[PerRock]

Amtrak has the funds to cover expenses for 6 weeks; then ops will need to be curtailed.

the 6 weeks number was made up by some 'reporter' (actually a blogger) not wanting to do the leg work & just coming up with scary numbers. A newspaper in MT ran a story quoting the blogger, in which Amtrak responded (after publication) stating that they were never contacted by the newspaper or the blogger. Amtrak officials have stated that Amtrak will be able to survive daily operations for a number of months (but have not state an exact number) without the help of the government. What the shutdown will affect sooner however, is capitol projects such as major repair work, new equipment testing, etc.

Most other rail transit in the US is primarily locally funded. What federal funds local lines do receive are usually for capitol projects (TIGER grants, etc), not day-to-day operations. Additionally all 'regional' Amtrak routes are now primarily financed thru the states, not the Feds; so even in the event of Amtrak shutting down, the main services that would be effected would be the long distance routes.

peter

 

[ftldave]

The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad is shut down due to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park being closed. It serves both commuters and excursion riders. I rode that train last summer and saw their absolutely beautiful ALCO FPA streamliners.

Their B&O #800 engine is probably the best looking locomotive I've ever seen in my life, just stunning to behold.

 

[JCitron]

The Lowell Trolley is closed down as well. This not only serves the industrial mill city national park, it also is a public transit link between Market Street, downtown, to the Tsongas Arena near UMass Lowell East Campus. The trolley runs on the former Boston and Maine Railroad mill branch, or what's left of it. There was once an extensive track network in the city that used to serve the mills along the canal.

John

 

[bl4882]

As to whether a default by the US on its debt service, if such a default were to take place whether or not Amtrek shuts down will be the least of our worries.

Bernie