http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/passenger/intercity/amtrak-we-must-do-something-transformational-now.html
(also, note that commuter operators on the NEC only pay avoidable cost)
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
Retains US Government ownership of all Amtrak assets
Keeps Amtrak as the single national passenger carrier
Transfers $1.0 billion to Amtrak in addition to any appropriation
Spends 300% more annually than Amtrak on NEC and Midwest infrastructures
Enables over $17 billion in new projects in the first 15 years
Permits Amtrak to match passenger revenues with train costs without NEC allocations
Allows Amtrak to run entire National System for under $600 million annual appropriations
Removes all NEC infrastructure ownership costs from Amtrak; these costs represents about two-thirds of every Amtrak dollar lost
Can provide IMO private money as local match for federal grants
Keeps NEC commuters on avoidable cost contracts
wanswheel Excerpt from AIRNet-21 pdf http://rail.transportation.org/Documents/2015.02.19%20%20SCORT.pdf Retains US Government ownership of all Amtrak assets Keeps Amtrak as the single national passenger carrier Transfers $1.0 billion to Amtrak in addition to any appropriation Spends 300% more annually than Amtrak on NEC and Midwest infrastructures Enables over $17 billion in new projects in the first 15 years Permits Amtrak to match passenger revenues with train costs without NEC allocations Allows Amtrak to run entire National System for under $600 million annual appropriations Removes all NEC infrastructure ownership costs from Amtrak; these costs represents about two-thirds of every Amtrak dollar lost Can provide IMO private money as local match for federal grants Keeps NEC commuters on avoidable cost contracts
Much of that sounds sensible. But reservations about Amtrak remain, based on these quotes from the article:
"In 1995, Amtrak began to implement its Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System (ACSES), which 20 years later has yet to be completed south of New York." [20 years? Unbelievable.]
"Connecticut’s Governor Malloy recently complained to the USDOT that Amtrak has repeatedly proven incapable of executing major projects on time and budget. Amtrak received about $3 billion under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009—the Stimulus Act. Much of Amtrak’s stimulus money remains unspent, while Amtrak’s approved and funded infrastructure work remains unimplemented." [Why?]
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
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