Passenger

oltmannd:

Sam1:

So why should I conclude that Phillips has any inside knowledge to buttress his opinions?  Why should I believe that he is in a position to assess Mr. Boardman's leadership skills?

None needed and Phillips stated so in his column. The judgement of lack of leadership is based primarily on what Boardman has said publicly measured against what Amtrak hasn't done in the past year. Pretty fair yardstick, I think.

OK, I give.  What hasn't Amtrak done in the past year?  They haven't killed off any trains, and in some instances, improved their service options, i.e., a long overdue restoration of checked baggage service at austin, TX, they have, I believe either ordered new baggage cars and/or are rebuilding some in Beech Grove, they are restoring P40's to service and some badly needed Superliners.  They settled, for now their Union contracts for the first time in 11 years, and according to Mr. Boardman, are finalizing a capital request aimed specifically at acquisition of new equipment.  They have conducted route studies for reestablishment of various routes, are still working on Las Vegas service and seem to be on the verge of retaking LA's troubled Metrolink operation.  Oh yes, I believe the on time performance for the system is up as well, but someone can correct me on that one. 

Amtrak always leaves something to be desired, but so does every railroad in the country.  Amtrak is moving forward, albeit without Hollywood spotlights and neon signs to signal the activity.

I guess my point is that Mr. Boardman needn't report to anyone except Congress and the DOT, and to a certain degree, his workforce, and in so doing, he can let Amtrak's work be his report and resume. 

4merroad4man:

oltmannd:

Sam1:

So why should I conclude that Phillips has any inside knowledge to buttress his opinions?  Why should I believe that he is in a position to assess Mr. Boardman's leadership skills?

None needed and Phillips stated so in his column. The judgement of lack of leadership is based primarily on what Boardman has said publicly measured against what Amtrak hasn't done in the past year. Pretty fair yardstick, I think.

OK, I give.  What hasn't Amtrak done in the past year?  They haven't killed off any trains, and in some instances, improved their service options, i.e., a long overdue restoration of checked baggage service at austin, TX, they have, I believe either ordered new baggage cars and/or are rebuilding some in Beech Grove, they are restoring P40's to service and some badly needed Superliners.  They settled, for now their Union contracts for the first time in 11 years, and according to Mr. Boardman, are finalizing a capital request aimed specifically at acquisition of new equipment.  They have conducted route studies for reestablishment of various routes, are still working on Las Vegas service and seem to be on the verge of retaking LA's troubled Metrolink operation.  Oh yes, I believe the on time performance for the system is up as well, but someone can correct me on that one. 

Amtrak always leaves something to be desired, but so does every railroad in the country.  Amtrak is moving forward, albeit without Hollywood spotlights and neon signs to signal the activity.

I guess my point is that Mr. Boardman needn't report to anyone except Congress and the DOT, and to a certain degree, his workforce, and in so doing, he can let Amtrak's work be his report and resume. 

 

Spot on!  A key point to keep in mind is that the leader of Amtrak has to continuously cover his or her back from an attack by 535 legislators, as well as the White House, who are convinced that they know more about running Amtrak than the management team.   

I understand that Amtrak wants to run the Texas Eagle through to LA on a daily basis, kill the Sunset Limited, and offer a day train between San Antonio and New Orleans.  I further understand that they were ready to implement it this fall, but were blocked by local politicians, with help for their Congressional pals, who did not like the plan. 

How Amtrak ever gets a competent executive to run a national passenger railroad whilst dealing with the politicians and others who are convinced that they know best how to run the system amazes me.

4merroad4man:

OK, I give.  What hasn't Amtrak done in the past year?

I'll give you two. One, he said there were too many employees just "going through the motions" and that those people needed to find new work. Anybody let go yet? Any management shake up? Nope. Second one. Boardman talks about Amtraks's future and place in the world. $8B to be handed out for improved service. Way more than that applied for. Has Amtrak taken a position on any of it? Any route studies internally initiated? Nope. Nada. Zilch. It's been almost a year. This ain't rocket science. Fail!

Sam1:

How Amtrak ever gets a competent executive to run a national passenger railroad whilst dealing with the politicians and others who are convinced that they know best how to run the system amazes me.

Well put. However, Amtrak has not always been so inert. A good example would be the purchase of the French Turbos in the 1970s in an attempt to jump start some higher speed service. Didn't exactly pan out, but it did give a push for higher speed service on the Hudson Line, which did pan out. Right now, Amtrak should be openly talking about how the proposals that are on the table right now would fit into their system, what the service would look like, what equipment would fit best, which they'd like to participate in and how that would work. Boardman still has complete hire/fire authority over his management team. If he were even the least bit serious about motivating the dead wood, he'd have done SOMETHING by now. Now, all the employees know he was just blowing smoke.

Sam1:

How Amtrak ever gets a competent executive to run a national passenger railroad whilst dealing with the politicians and others who are convinced that they know best how to run the system amazes me.

Well put. However, Amtrak has not always been so inert. A good example would be the purchase of the French Turbos in the 1970s in an attempt to jump start some higher speed service. Didn't exactly pan out, but it did give a push for higher speed service on the Hudson Line, which did pan out. Right now, Amtrak should be openly talking about how the proposals that are on the table right now would fit into their system, what the service would look like, what equipment would fit best, which they'd like to participate in and how that would work. Boardman still has complete hire/fire authority over his management team. If he were even the least bit serious about motivating the dead wood, he'd have done SOMETHING by now. Now, all the employees know he was just blowing smoke.

The President of Amtrak is ont the same as President of BNSF or CSX or anyother railroad for that matter.  Working in the private sector is much different than in the public sector, and in this case Boardman has an extra burden of being appointed for only one year which ends this month.  He has worked in the political arena for years in NY from municipal to state elevations but, as I said earlier, Washington is different.  There are many reasons he has not been vocal or public especially over the last six or so months.  So what happens by the end of this month is very important and is the tell tale.

By the way, I don't think Phillips said anything more in his column this month than that he was dissapointed in that Boardman has not been public and vocal.  As has been indicated, Phillips is a well respected and accepted journalist in the transportation field and not a contimporary yellow hack looking to kill somebody's career over a misplaced hat. You don't have to agree with him, but you can't attack his integrity and sincerity.

As for HSP and VHSP being "pie in the sky".  Yes, in this country it probably is.  We are a country that could benefit greatly in so many ways should we have such rail service.  But since we are hung up on it being a private enterprise device to garner big profits (lets face it, 20% or less return on investment within a year in this country is a turn off in the private sector) or it shouldn't be considered because it evidently isn't worth it.  Thank goodness our Forefathers never thought that way or we'd still be back in the 1700's socially and economically.  And it's not just high speed rail that we need think about in these terms in this country. 

oltmannd:

4merroad4man:

OK, I give.  What hasn't Amtrak done in the past year?

I'll give you two. One, he said there were too many employees just "going through the motions" and that those people needed to find new work. Anybody let go yet? Any management shake up? Nope. \!

 

The general superintentdant of the pacific division, along with some other high ranking managers from the pacific side, were terminated on 10/12/09.  

henry6:

By the way, I don't think Phillips said anything more in his column this month than that he was dissapointed in that Boardman has not been public and vocal. 

No. He said ALL that Boardman was was "public and vocal" and that there was no action behind the words.

henry6:

Thank goodness our Forefathers never thought that way or we'd still be back in the 1700's socially and economically.

Yes. God bless'em for giving us the Tennessee-Tombigbee!

henry6:

Working in the private sector is much different than in the public sector, and in this case Boardman has an extra burden of being appointed for only one year which ends this month.

So, the path to success in the public sector is to do nothing? If you do something, somebody might not like it and get you fired? To get reappointed, don't do anything? And then, when you are reappointed, keep not doing anything, so you don't get fired? Is that what you're saying? Even Downs and Warrington did SOMETHING! (it was bad, but it wasn't nothing)

henry6:

You don't have to agree with him, but you can't attack his integrity and sincerity.

I'm not attacking Phillips. I think he's right that Boardman has been a dissapointment.. Amtrak's ship has come in, Boardman talks about seeing it arrive and how wonderful it will be, but won't get on board (ooh. There's a pun there somewhere....) The first lines of Phillip's column: "It is time for Joseph Boardman to either act like a leader or move on. Amtrak needs leadership, and none is evident now." Some more: "Many of them (Amtrak employees) are working hard on plans to be ready for the future. They only await orders from the top."

The one thing that everyone continues to overlook about Amtrak.  From it's inception by Congress it has been designed to fail.  The fact that it still exists is a testament of leadership to all those that have held the top leadership position....imagine defying Congress's intent for the past 38 years.

Sorry, but I don't think dirigibles will fly!  (Groan!  Sorry...)  Maybe if they can fill them with all the "excess" carbon dioxide in the air, saving mankind (and polar bears) from a horrible fate...

Here, in Shelby, MT we have a horse feed lot, containing thousands of aged/un-wanted/wild horses.  They await a truck trip to the Fort MacLeod, Alberta abbatoir and a nice flight on "Air Canada" to France, where they will be consumed by the denizens therein.  Has anyone thought of hooking these critters up to wagons, or just getting on their backs to go to the grocery store?  Might work.  I'm sure GM could figure out a way to build wagons...  Well, maybe.  With Studebaker gone, there ain't much expertise in the area.  Come on Fiat..., er...Chrysler.  You can do it!

I wouldn't necessarily say it was designed to fail, but it certainly wasn't designed to suceed. 

jeaton:

I wouldn't necessarily say it was designed to fail, but it certainly wasn't designed to suceed. 

It all depends on the definition of "fail" and "succeed".

Several people have noted that Nixon's team met (not very) secretly to plan the Rail Passeger Service Act, which was designed to take over the money-losing passenger business from the railroads and then in turn quietly go under (designed to fail). Louis Menk of the BN was upset when Fortune exposed the scheme.  The history of Amtrak is rife with Congressional interference, chronic under-funding and mostly lackluster management.  It's a miracle it has survived this long.

I just reread Phillips' editorial as well as some others by him in recent issues.  "Scathing" hardly seems an appropriate term; it was critical, certainly, overly impatient perhaps.

BaltACD:

The one thing that everyone continues to overlook about Amtrak.  From it's inception by Congress it has been designed to fail.  The fact that it still exists is a testament of leadership to all those that have held the top leadership position....imagine defying Congress's intent for the past 38 years.

Designed to fail?  Maybe!  A better assessment can be found in the program which was laid on Amtrak's management.  Had the architects eliminated the long distance trains, which provide a relatively small share of the revenues whilst eating a disproportionate share of the operating expenses, and concentrated on a few corridors, where passenger trains have a chance for success, the results probably would have been different.  

With some minor tweaking of the fare and cost structure, Amtrak could cover its operating expenses and contribute a significant amount to the fixed costs on its relatively short corridor routes.

Unfortunately, Amtrak is a political animal, which contains the seeds of its inability to be at least a partially commercial success.  It has been whipsawed by political forces rather than run as a response to market demand for passenger rail services.

Ironically, many of the people in the advocacy groups, who profess to love trains, have contributed to Amtrak's many problems through their 1950s. perspectives.  They keep insisting on running trains based on a bygone model that have no chance whatsoever of being viable.