AP and Yahoo to the rescue with more information.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/amtrak-p ... 13878.html
"Amtrak plans to spend $7.3 billion to replace 83 passenger trains, some nearly a half-century old, though much of the funding must still be approved by Congress. Amtrak's board has approved up to $4.9 billion for equipment, parts and service and $2 billion to modify its facilities.
Initially Amtrak will buy 73 trains and a 20-year parts and service agreement for about $3.4 billion. Amtrak says money will come from about $200 million already approved by Congress, as well as future funding that has to be approved. “We expect that we will have annual funding for our portion of the train sets," he said. "If there should be a moment in time when that money isn’t specifically available, we have the ability to finance the units as well,” Flynn said. That money would be repaid by states with trains, and passenger fares, he said."
Plans to replace 83 trains is not the same as buying 73 trains.
That fixes one of my inconsistencies from my earlier response.
The math now adds up better than before as well,improving but not fixing another inconsistency.
4.9 Billion + 2 Billion + .2 Billion = 7.1 Billion, still not quite the 7.3 Billion/
Now there is a new inconsistency of 1.5 Billion, because 3.4 Billion does not equal 4.9 Billion.
How hard is it to get the accounting data correct from the reporters. I'm beginning to think this reporter failed math in high school, and wonder how he ever got a bachelor's degree from any university.
Never-the-less, the initial press reporting on the press releases suggested Amtrak was spending $7.3 Billion on 83 trainsets, not the 3.4 Billion for 73 trainsets. So it looks like the Siemens initial -press release was far more correct. I guess Amtrak is buying $1.5 Billion more in spare parts than for just these 73 trainsets, still not sure on that.
