Volume II Number 27 – This Was The Week That Was – An Amtrak Saga

April 15, 2002

There was no Midweek Update on Wednesday, April 10th; your humble correspondent was traveling to Washington at the request of the Railroad Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to participate in the hearings held on Thursday regarding the future of the New Amtrak.

1. Would You Care For Some Cheese With That W(h)ine Department: Here’s an interesting fact presented during the Thursday hearing by the General Accounting Office – every day, America’s airlines host approximately 1.8 million passengers, and America’s bus companies (Greyhound and others) host one million passengers. Amtrak, outside of the Northeast Corridor, only hosts an average of 20,000 passengers a day. The GAO said that is perhaps why it is so difficult to justify large amounts of free federal money for Amtrak; the amount of passengers carried is not relevant compared to the cost to the federal treasury. The GAO also presented charts which showed that many states provide less than 100 passengers a day to the Amtrak national system.

   For all of those whiners who have been blaming those allegedly mean people in Congress for decades for allegedly under funding Amtrak, it’s tough to make a true business case to give money to Amtrak when a far flung system covering over 40 states carries less passengers than a small to medium size transit system. Business cases make little room for emotional issues or whether or not someone’s grandmother is afraid to fly; business cases just present cold, hard facts.

   Now, that aside, it was made clear during the hearings the Railroad Subcommittee believes in the value of passenger rail and its potential in the future. What the subcommittee appears unwilling to do is to continue to fund Amtrak as it is today, with the present dismal performance of the current business plan.

   It is noteworthy that those invited to present testimony at this series of hearings were people and organizations that had serious issues to add to the discursion about the New Amtrak, and not those who continue to believe in the current party line. It was verbally noted during the hearing that Amtrak was specifically not invited to the hearing, and its attendant cheer leading organizations that espouse only the hackneyed thoughts of the current Amtrak were also not included.

   The bottom line: The New Amtrak is going to have to demonstrate how the system can grow, and grow at a steady rate if it is to be relevant as part of America’s transportation policy and domestic transportation network.

2. How are you going to keep them down on the farm after they’ve seen Pariee? Everyone is familiar with the concept of Potomac Fever – that peculiar condition that comes over normally rational people after they have been repeatedly exposed to the grandeur and power of Washington. Well, that works with Amtrak, too.

   A longtime confederate of your humble correspondent also making the trip for the hearings visited Washington for the first time. He currently resides in Tampa, Florida, a murky backwater in Amtrak parlance, but a metropolitan area of about three million souls or more. Tampa is served by one daily train, and has Amtrak Thruway motor coach service to two other Amtrak frequencies via Orlando.

   The gentleman’s first visit to Washington Union Station provided some startling information. The arrivals and departures board, showing he train activity at Washington Union Station for the early afternoon through late afternoon displayed more train travel choices for the slow pat of the day than are offered for an entire week in Tampa.

   It becomes very easy to see why those who choose to work in Washington at Amtrak headquarters can so easily dismiss the national system. Those in Washington are so accustomed to an overabundance of service it’s almost impossible to imagine the wilds of the national system where cities beg for just one train a day in each direction. Even worse, imagine what it’s like for great cities such as Houston, Phoenix, or Mobile that have only triweekly service?

   Potomac Fever can have terrible consequences when reality intrudes.

3. Other interesting things heard during the hearing:
   1. A. Republicans and Democrats alike support passenger rail for the future. Just about all are skeptical about what numbers are real, and what numbers have been used for Amtrak’s convenience. There was a short exchange about numbers that the GAO had said were preliminary and different from Amtrak, and numbers Amtrak said were preliminary and different from the GAO.

      Perhaps the only solution to the numbers game is the old, but applicable, Marine Corps saying, “Kill them all, and let God sort it out.”

   2. The eloquent and avuncular president of the Association of American Railroads made a lengthy presentation, pretty much keeping with the freight railroad party line of don’t take our property under confiscatory practices. He was not defiant, but certainly spoke strongly that anything the New Amtrak hopes to accomplish is going to have to be more on a partnership basis with the host railroads than now exists. He also interestedly pointed out that Amtrak does not charge the freight railroads for access to the NEC the way the freight railroads charge Amtrak for use of their tracks and property. Amtrak charges for use of the NEC on a fully allocated cost basis, and the freight railroads are only allowed by law to charge Amtrak on a partially allocated basis to handle trains on their property.

      Obviously, the way the law is written now, what is good for the goose is definitely not good for the gander. It’s this type of mistreatment of the freight railroads by the current law and Amtrak that leads to such contentious relationships. The New Amtrak must come to terms with its carriers before it can expect the respect and courtesies due any other customer of the host railroads. Anything less is both unfair and wrong.

   3. Much of the testimony presented to the subcommittee by the various participants said basically the same thing: take what is now in place, jack up the gas cap, and drive a new car under it. The many advantages Amtrak has under the current law should all remain, but so many things have to be fixed that it will be a huge undertaking. Everyone present was for more trains to more destinations. What there was almost unanimous agreement on was that Amtrak, as it is today, cannot and should not survive.
   4. Republican members of the subcommittee pointedly remarked that it was clear that Amtrak’s hard working union members and front line managers are the ones who are keeping the company going under more than difficult circumstances. It’s clear that the largest problems with Amtrak are at the top policy making positions, and the company’s labor force is keeping things going.

   The verbal testimony presented by hour humble correspondent is available on the United Rail Passenger Alliance web site, http://www.unitedrail.org

And, so Amtrak keeps going, while official Washington continues to wrestle with the myriad of problems of Amtrak. It is very clear that Amtrak is an issue that is on the Washington radar screen and is being dealt with in a thoughtful and expedient manner. Other issues, such as RIDE 21 and the Hollings bill are also working their way through the system. The New Amtrak is within grasp; here’s hoping for sooner than later.