New Amtrak President on the Crescent

[dlagrua]

Many states contract out their regional rail so why count not that scheme work on the LD routes. Could it be much worse than having to endure lower amenities, steadily raising prices, and riding in old worn out equipment where some of the help could care less?.

The MBTA in Boston contracts out their commuter rail operations to Keolis. Nevertheless, they still struggle with antiquated equipment, their new locomotives and cars have suffered various failures, and their fares have increased. i fail to see how this model is superior to Amtrak as it is today.

It's superior for the guy making a nice fat profit off of the taxpayer's dime!

Maybe not so much for travelers, though...

There must be a reason why many state governments contract out regional rail to private operators. If it costs more to do it this way then why is it being done? I believe that its a matter of getting the best cost that benefits the taxpayer. I am certainly glad that we have an Amtrak rail system but it has been stuck in a cut or minimal growth mode for as long as we can remember. It now falls upon Wick Moorman to figure it all out. He didn't need the job and is working for $1 per year so can we assume that he is looking to make a positive difference? .

 

[jis]

I am somewhat confused by the apparent claim of some that Amtrak is the epitome of customer service that cannot be improved upon by alternate operators. Seems a bit dogmatic to me.

 

[NorthShore]

The fact of the matter is it doesn't matter a hill of beans what Presidents say because money bills originate in the House. President can just use his bully pulpit. But at the end of the day the House has to act and the Senate has to concur.

Which is why I found it so odd that my Congressman (Quigley), who holds seats on the Transportation subcommittee as well as Appropriations, answered (when asked at a community meeting last week) that Congressional investment for funding Amtrak's capital interests would depend upon the agenda set by our country's next president.
Well, in so far as setting some priorities, yes. But it isn't like his committees aren't the ones making the real decisions.

Someone should have asked him what they did with the priorities set by the current President. Obviously it was a non-answer.
On the other hand, in the immediate future they could pass the adjusted CR and fund Amtrak fully for the next year as it appears in the draft instead of dicking around with it some more. It look like the odds are pretty good that this one might actually slip through.

It wasn't terribly encouraging (especially coming from a Chicago Democrat) when he suggested that Amtrak was going to have to take direction from Congress as to how things need to be, and noted (with a tad of sympathy) that some routes (apparently, implied, long distance services) are going to have to be discontinued.

 

[MikefromCrete]

Hasn't the Crescent reached D.C. yet? Wow, talk about a delay.