Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
[quote user="schlimm"] Let me try a different question that perhaps takes us off the treadmill discussions that have been on here for years.  Airlines use passenger load percentage (not sure if that is the precise term) as a way of evaluating their various routes.  Is there such a statistic for the various Amtrak routes?  Could it be derived or are the data inadequate? [/quote] Prior to FY11 the load factor for each route could be calculated from the information contained in the Route Performance Report section of Amtrak's monthly performance reports.  Moreover, totals could be determined for each product line (my definition), i.e. NEC, state supported and other short distance corridor trains, and long distance trains. However, the information was not granular enough to determine the load factor for each segment of a route, i.e. Atlanta to Charlotte or Philadelphia to Washington. Amtrak undoubtedly has the information to determine station pair load factors, but getting it as per below may not be worth the challenge. Unfortunately beginning in FY11 Amtrak discontinued the route report section, claiming that it was developing a new accounting system that would correct the deficiencies in the old system.  It did not have an acceptable methodology to allocate depreciation, interest, and other overheads to the routes.   Amtrak has been working on its accounting system upgrades for nearly two years. I cannot fathom the mind of a management team that would discontinue a reasonable accounting system, albeit one that needed to be improved, without have a viable alternative ready to go. There is probably a way to get the current information. One can file a request for the information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552.  I have used the Texas Open Records Act procedures to obtain information regarding the Dallas Symphony Orchestra's finances.  It is not an easy procedure, but one can have a go at it.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag