ontheBNSF D.CarletonA "private company"... or companies? (http://passengerrail.org/) Remember, PRIIA section 209 takes effect in October. "Amtrak is a private corporation, not a federal agency and therefore does not have an Open Government Team." http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/547/386/ChiefFOIAOfficerReportRev.pdf Seems pretty private to me.
D.CarletonA "private company"... or companies? (http://passengerrail.org/) Remember, PRIIA section 209 takes effect in October.
"Amtrak is a private corporation, not a federal agency and therefore does not have an Open Government Team."
http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/547/386/ChiefFOIAOfficerReportRev.pdf
Seems pretty private to me.
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=search&friend=washingtonpost&court=US&case=/us/513/374.html
Editor Emeritus, This Week at Amtrak
SEC. 301. CREATION OF THE CORPORATION.There is authorized to be created a National Railroad PassengerCorporation. The Corporation shall be a for profit corporation, thepurpose of which shall be to provide intercity rail passengerservice, employing innovative operating and marketing concepts so as to fullydevelop the potential of modern rail service in meeting the Nation'sintercity passenger transportation requirements. The Corporation willnot be an agency or establishment of the United States Government.
https://bulk.resource.org/gao.gov/91-518/00005088.pdf
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
D.CarletonDoes passenger rail have to be a ward of the state in perpetuity? Remember, it didn’t start off that way.
It probably does have to be a ward of the state as it is everywhere else in the world. The question really is: "Does the ward have to look like Amtrak?"
Which opens up two options - other than status quo: 1. Amtrak gets replaced with some other structure. 2. The structure of Amtrak changes.
The latter might be easiest. One poster around here suggested that Amtrak could actually become a contract administrator and that all services need to operate the trains would be subbed out to a variety of contractors. e.g. one to maintain the trains, one to operate them, one to provide food services, one to provide hotel services, one to maintain track, one to maintain signals & dispatch, etc.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
schlimm SEC. 301. CREATION OF THE CORPORATION.There is authorized to be created a National Railroad PassengerCorporation. The Corporation shall be a for profit corporation, thepurpose of which shall be to provide intercity rail passengerservice, employing innovative operating and marketing concepts so as to fullydevelop the potential of modern rail service in meeting the Nation'sintercity passenger transportation requirements. The Corporation willnot be an agency or establishment of the United States Government. https://bulk.resource.org/gao.gov/91-518/00005088.pdf
One thing to remember is that the host RRs are only required to host Amtrak trains. Trains by any other entity would have to be handled by separated contracts by each host road - and the roads would be free to "just say no". They do not have this right with Amtrak.
D.Carleton ontheBNSF D.CarletonA "private company"... or companies? (http://passengerrail.org/) Remember, PRIIA section 209 takes effect in October. "Amtrak is a private corporation, not a federal agency and therefore does not have an Open Government Team." http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/547/386/ChiefFOIAOfficerReportRev.pdf Seems pretty private to me. The Supreme Court would, and did, say otherwise: "Amtrak was created by a special statute, explicitly for the furtherance of federal governmental goals. As we have described, six of the corporation's eight externally named directors (the ninth is named by a majority of the board itself) are appointed directly by the President of the United States - four of them (including the Secretary of Transportation) with the advice and consent of the Senate." http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=search&friend=washingtonpost&court=US&case=/us/513/374.html
It would be fair to say the Amtrak is a nearly-wholly owned private subsidiary of the US Government.
John WR oltmanndAnd [Amtrak] is stuck somewhere between "lost cause" and "worthy cause", for a whole bunch of reasons, internal and external. But so far Amtrak is still with us. Either the anti Amtrakers will prevail and we will loose our national passenger rail service or they will not prevail and we will keep it.
oltmanndAnd [Amtrak] is stuck somewhere between "lost cause" and "worthy cause", for a whole bunch of reasons, internal and external.
But so far Amtrak is still with us. Either the anti Amtrakers will prevail and we will loose our national passenger rail service or they will not prevail and we will keep it.
There is middle ground. Amtrak stays. The "state routes" ante-up. The farebox + state subsidy recovery gets close to 100%. The "anti's" lose their major talking point. The conversation continues to pivot toward corridor development - including the NEC (see the latest from the FRA). The LD network remains irrelevant, but becomes more and more "politically invisible". Amtrak runs the wheels off the Superliners and P42s in the next several decades. LD routes get rationalized into a few links between the emerging corridors - with services and equipment to suit.
oltmanndThere is middle ground. Amtrak stays. The "state routes" ante-up. The farebox + state subsidy recovery gets close to 100%.
It looks to me like that is where Amtrak is now heading.
How does amtrak difer from Fannie Mae and Sallie Mac and the post office for that matter
For starters, Amtrak actually carries people to where they want to go. The Post Office will deliver many things. But not people.
To be fair though there aren't really any private companies in this country. Through pension funds and CAFRs the government owns most publicly traded companies. About 70% of stock in publicly traded companies is government owned. Only self owned companies are really private. Even with self owned companies have to deal with government regulations. About 90% economic activity is government if you include regulations and cafrs on top of other government spending.
Railroad to Freedom
And where would you suggest that state pension funds and similar bodies invest their funds if not in the shares of publicly traded companies?
CSSHEGEWISCH And where would you suggest that state pension funds and similar bodies invest their funds if not in the shares of publicly traded companies?
I recommend that employees are given what they were promised and the programs are discontinued with the rest either refunded to tax payers or spent of programs they want. The governments have far more assets in CAFRs and Pension funds then it will ever need. For more info on the subject watch one of the corporation nation films you don't have to watch only a small piece of one of the corporation nation films to get an idea.
ontheBNSF CSSHEGEWISCH And where would you suggest that state pension funds and similar bodies invest their funds if not in the shares of publicly traded companies? I recommend that employees are given what they were promised and the programs are discontinued with the rest either refunded to tax payers or spent of programs they want. The governments have far more assets in CAFRs and Pension funds then it will ever need. For more info on the subject watch one of the corporation nation films you don't have to watch only a small piece of one of the corporation nation films to get an idea.
What are 'corporation nation films'?
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
John WR For starters, Amtrak actually carries people to where they want to go. The Post Office will deliver many things. But not people.
What if you cram them into one of those flat rate boxes?
If it fits, it ships?
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
BaltACD ontheBNSF CSSHEGEWISCH And where would you suggest that state pension funds and similar bodies invest their funds if not in the shares of publicly traded companies? I recommend that employees are given what they were promised and the programs are discontinued with the rest either refunded to tax payers or spent of programs they want. The governments have far more assets in CAFRs and Pension funds then it will ever need. For more info on the subject watch one of the corporation nation films you don't have to watch only a small piece of one of the corporation nation films to get an idea. What are 'corporation nation films'?
Part 1
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkfMuvVuETQ
Part 2
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhkWueEjewM
Sorry folks but this is becoming quite political. Time to move on.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
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