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[quote user="Alan F"]   <blockquote> <div><img src="/TRCCS/Themes/trc/images/icon-quote.gif" /> oltmannd:</div> <div>   Comparing 2010 to 2011 Passenger miles up 6.5% Seat-miles up 1.2% Salaries, wages and benefits up 8.7% (Salaries, wages and benefits are half of Amtrak's expenses.) This is not good.....   </div> </blockquote>   You overlook that ticket revenues were up 8.7% or $149.4 million which helped to offset the salaries & wages increase.  The Net Operating Loss went from $419.9 million in FY10 to $451.5 million in FY11. Which was still well less than the $566 million operating grants provided by Congress. The increase in personnel costs is the major reason for the reduction in force in management ranks and why the FY12 budget plan calls for a total reduction in Amtrak employees by around 500 by the end of FY12. Boardman's FY12 budget has an aggressive goal of a Net Operating Loss of $345.3 million by keeping personnel costs close to or less than FY11 numbers while increasing ticket revenue by $116 million. The US Treasury funding as per the 2008 PRIIA act to exercise the Early Buy-out Options on a number of Warrington era equipment leases are also reducing Amtrak's debt load. If Amtrak can meet the FY12 budget goals, their overall finances will be in better shape than they have been for a long time. [/quote] How did you come up with a net operating loss of $451.5 million in FY11?  Also, presumably you mean that personnel costs went up because of the separation costs associated with the reduction in management.   At the end of the day a business has to cover all of its costs or expenditures and expenses.  Amtrak does not come close to doing that, no matter what spin is put on the numbers.  It never has and probably never will.
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