Trump proposes cutting long distance support

Arlington wrote:I interpret $1.5b as "the Boardman Deal", which resulted in a net increase in Amtrak funding of about $0.4b (from $1.1b -ish), which doubled the funds available for NEC capital projects.

Under the old deal, Amtrak might have gotten $.4b for NEC capital projects and $.7b for operating losses, but since the "National Network" had operating losses of $1.1b, Amtrak had to transfer $.4b from the NEC Operations to National Network Operations to fully cover the National Network's operating losses.

No, Amtrak received a total of $1.39 billion in (direct) federal funding in FY2016. The FY2017 appropriations deal provides Amtrak around $110 million in additional funding they can spend. Amtrak is not getting a $0.4 billion or $400 million increase. And the National Network is not "losing" $1.1 billion a year. The LD and state supported corridors had a net fully loaded loss about 1/2 of that in FY2016.

What has changed in how the funding is structured. In FY2016, Amtrak received $288.5 million for operating grant subsidies and $1.1015 billion for capital and debt service. Of the $1.1015 billion, up to $160 million was for debt service payments and not less than $50 million to be spent on bringing stations and facilities to ADA compliance.

The funding structure is now split with 1 amount to the NEC and 1 amount for the rest of the system. The capital & maintenance funding, operating subsidies and debt service funds are now all lumped together in the money Amtrak gets and it will be up to Amtrak and the FRA & US DOT (in their role as overseeing Amtrak and doling out the funds) to spend most of the funds as needed for operating subsidies, debt service, etc. One piece of good news on the debt service is that the $300 million mortgage on NY Penn Station that was taken out in the early aughts to keep Amtrak operating will be paid off in June 2017. Will eliminate ~$34 million in annual mortgage payments.

Arlington wrote:Sounds like an earmark for PVD that is trying to sound location-neutral but the fix is in.

Yup, theres a station, the MBTA stops there, they want Amtrak to stop there too.

Recently, this linked blog material drew my attention:

https://ntbraymer.wordpress.com/2017/03 ... e-potomac/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Best "take away":

. As the late Jim McClellan commented on an article of mine by personally communicating to me (06/23/15): “Amtrak has largely lived on its ability to work the politics of passenger service, rather than actually running a serious transportation company.” ..

I've known this fellow, Mark Singer, "along the way". I agree that Amtrak has learned over forty six years "the politics of passenger service", but further comments within the blog posting, such as "the inept Acela purchase" astound me. Even if the equipment needs Herculean efforts to "keep it running", how can any informed person hold that Acela has been other than a commercial success. What other product offered by Amtrak can command TWO DOLLARS A MILE as did a recent fare search NYP-WAS First $460 5PM departure. Because of the Acela, as well as added inconveniences of post 9/11 air travel, Amtrak has become "king of the castle" in the NY-Wash market. The brand is a household word in the Northeast, as is the term "Acela Corridor". We can only hope the present sets remain serviceable until the new "Aviella" sets are up and running, and that those sets represent quality manufacture, rather than, as I fear, some political "kit bash" (Upstate NY rail equipment is getting a bad name for itself of late).

Otherwise, the article is full of the "same old, same old" litanies of LD's bear disproportionate overhead costs and all the others as well.

What is always notable to me in any of the pro-LD articles, especially those calling for more routes and frequencies, is complete ignorance or omission of the additional burden the Class I roads would have to bear. Wouldn't it be great if the pro-LD advocates would accept that the investor owned Class I ROW's are there to generate a return to the investors and that such return comes solely from handling freight.

disclaimer: author holds Long position UNP within a "traditional" brokerage account

Gilbert B Norman wrote:https://ntbraymer.wordpress.com/2017/03 ... e-potomac/

My favorite take away from the article,

With remarkable hindsight in 2003, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) stated how “The national passenger rail system has been largely neglected, with the exception of the Northeast Corridor.” Rising to meet the power of the Northeastern congressional delegation, Senator Hutchison pushed back, stating: “Either we commit to dramatically improving rail for the entire country or we abandon the pretense of a national system and turn it over to the states and private companies. Our motto for passenger rail is National or Nothing!”

I'm proud to state I have never regretted voting for her. She saved the Texas Eagle back then, or it too would be serving Texas like the Sunset Limited with three round trips each week. There are many who visit these forums who would state that's exactly what should occur to all the long distance trains. If that were to occur, don't expect $Billions of federal funds for rebuilding the NEC, its stations and tunnels.

Gilbert B Norman wrote: Even if the equipment needs Herculean efforts to "keep it running", how can any informed person hold that Acela has been other than a commercial success. What other product offered by Amtrak can command TWO DOLLARS A MILE as did a recent fare search NYP-WAS First $460 5PM departure. Because of the Acela, as well as added inconveniences of post 9/11 air travel, Amtrak has become "king of the castle" in the NY-Wash market. The brand is a household word in the Northeast, as is the term "Acela Corridor".

Heartily agreed. The take-away from this is that perhaps other corridors and regional trains should be operated by HSR look-alike trains (Brightline anybody?). Acela sells well not just because it goes fast (does it really? It saves something like 20 minutes over a regional) but it looks like a modern product, it runs frequently, and it mentally appeals to folks that would otherwise take a plane or car. In other words, it's not your father's Oldsmobile.

You could imagine, especially with regard to regional trains in NEC, they might sell even more seats at higher prices if the next generation of power and coaches looked like and HST (common roof line, bullet nose) with an interior that had airline-style luggage racks and real business class.

I love me some long distance passenger travel as much as any other right-thinking railfan

But I can't help but think that the focus on passenger miles is attempting to unfairly goose the metrics. If the LD were profitable services, of which no more than a couple can at all claim to be, that is a valuable number, but in so far as these all rely on some amount of operating subsidy, people don't become more worthy of subsidy in proportion to how far they're traveling.

Maybe we should further study how countries oversees have developed successful High Speed LD rail. Perhaps a cooperative effort between the class 1's, amtrak, and the Fed Gov to study how to move priority freight and passengers as a combined consist. Would just have to figure out a way to sweeten the pot for the class ones. Say if the Feds were to foot the bill for the infrastructure upgrades and the railroads agreed to operate and maintain these trains moving forward. Railroads done right will always be the most efficiant means of transport. As it stands right now the can keeps getting kicked further down the road while our current system crumbles. Take the ATRC which was much needed and killed by Gov. Christy and now the Gateway Project which is an emergent need and now killed by trump. Even though these projects are costly our economy depends on them.

Trump of course never takes the train and always flys to NYC in his private jet or helicopter, so he will not do anything about Gateway. Most politicians are also in the pocket of the oil lobby which prefers that public transit be ineffective to force more people to drive and burn more gas, especially when sitting in traffic.

Should've got Gateway started when Obama was still president because he actually supported Amtrak and 45 obviously won't.

Forget how other countries fund LD rail, there are few examples elsewhere in the world that deal with the distances we have here in the US. Perhaps it is time to break up Amtrak into regions that make more sense. California, the NEC and what ever others out there that make rail travel time feasible. I really think developing regions is the way to go. Then if some private company wants to develop LD it can do so privately.

Outsource Amtrak to the Russians!

trainbrain wrote:Trump of course never takes the train and always flys to NYC in his private jet or helicopter, so he will not do anything about Gateway. Most politicians are also in the pocket of the oil lobby which prefers that public transit be ineffective to force more people to drive and burn more gas, especially when sitting in traffic.

Should've got Gateway started when Obama was still president because he actually supported Amtrak and 45 obviously won't.

The US Secret Service does not favor rail as it considers rail travel to be far more dangerous from a security standpoint since it presents multiple means and opportunities for attack. A DC to NYC trip would require a thorough inspection of the right of way immediately prior to the movement, a very substantial number of security personnel lining the route, complete shutdown of the NEC for several hours and the closing of every vehicle bridge and underpass along the corridor for an hour or more.

Ken W2KB wrote:The US Secret Service does not favor rail as it considers rail travel to be far more dangerous from a security standpoint since it presents multiple means and opportunities for attack. A DC to NYC trip would require a thorough inspection of the right of way immediately prior to the movement, a very substantial number of security personnel lining the route, complete shutdown of the NEC for several hours and the closing of every vehicle bridge and underpass along the corridor for an hour or more.

Biden, though was a regular commuter between WAS and WIL, much to the frustrations of USSS.

mmi16 wrote:Outsource Amtrak to the Russians!

I had occasion to make several train trips in the Soviet Union in the 1970's, and was very well impressed by how well the trains ran. When John Mica criticized Amtrak as a "Soviet-style railroad", my reaction was: if only!

Trump budget cuts $630 million from Amtrak. Would end all long distance routes.
Story here on ending Florida service.

https://www.villages-news.com/nelson-wa ... e-florida/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

NARP'S summary of the facts.
https://www.narprail.org/news/releases/ ... =hootsuite" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;