Sam,
I agree wholeheartedly with your last paragraph. Makes me think the ATK bosses would rather say "I don't know" than to be able to accurately the question. The only people dumber than bureaucrats are the politicians.
Mac
Amtrak has not been able to report route cost data for at least the last six to nine months. It is transitioning to a new accounting system that will allow it to allocate depreciation and other non-cash expenses by routes or product segments.
Reporting ridership and revenue trends without reporting cost and bottom line numbers is presenting only half of the story. That revenues and ridership have been increasing is good news, but Amtrak needs to tell the whole story.
If the CFO and Chief Accountant of a private business had to tell the board that they had suspended a workable albeit incomplete product line accounting system without a replacement, they would probably be looking for a new job or working in the mailroom.
Amtrak has released its Jan performance report. Several items 1. Vermont RR went from worse ( 7700 ) to first (112 ) in number of delay minutes per 10,000 miles. This probably due to rail, tie, and surfacing completed this past fall by VTR allowing removal of many slow orders. 2. Eagle reidership up but revenue down due to bus bridge of passengers and then passengers double counted. Another reason that revenue passenger miles is a much better metric. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Copied Amtrak's summary of each business line for your reading. Amtrak Ticket Revenue and Ridership Summary Report – January 2012 January FY12 ridership of 2.23 million trips and ticket revenues of $134.8 million were both about +5% vs January FY11. January ridership was on par with Budget but January ticket revenues were -3% vs Budget. Strong Northeast Regional demand on both the NEC and extensions into Virginia helped to drive January’s good performance vs last year… Amtrak January FY12 Ridership and Ticket Revenues (millions) --------------- Ridership ---------------- ------------ Ticket Revenues --------- Other Other Total NEC SD LD Total NEC SD LD Jan FY12: 2.22 0.81 1.09 0.33 $134.8 $70.9 $31.4 $32.6 Jan FY11: 2.13 0.75 1.05 0.32 $129.0 $67.2 $29.2 $32.6 Jan FY12 Budget: 2.22 0.81 1.09 0.33 $139.0 $74.4 $30.9 $33.7 % vs FY11: +5% +8% 4% +2% +5% +6% +7% 0% % vs Budget: 0% 0% 0% +1% -3% -5% +2% -3% January FY12 Amtrak on-time performance was 85%, +9 points vs last January. On-time performance for long distance trains was 79% vs 71% in January FY11. Acela on-time performance in January FY12 was 92% vs 65% last year. January FY12 gasoline prices averaged $3.44/gallon, +9% vs last January, and up 3% from December FY12. The national unemployment rate fell to 8.3% in January. Fiscal year-to-date through January FY12, Amtrak ridership of 9.96 million trips was +3% vs FY11 and -1% vs Budget. Ticket revenues of $639 million were +5% vs FY11 and -1% vs Budget. Acela January FY12 Acela ridership was about equal to last year but -8% vs Budget. Ticket revenues were +1% vs last year and -9% vs Budget. Several possible reasons for Acela’s year-to-date performance is cannibalization to Northeast Regional, the loss of Acela marketing/advertising in FY12, and a smaller number of air-to-rail diversions due to the mild winter weather. First class and business class ridership were -3% and even vs last year respectively. By market segment, January FY12 ridership vs FY11 was even in south of New York markets, +3% in north of New York markets, and -12% in through New York markets. Specifically the through New York markets that are driving the decline in this segment year-to-date are New Haven-Washington (-6%), Boston-Newark (-29%), Boston-Washington (-23%), and Boston-Philadelphia (-15%). Acela ridership in the endpoint markets of NY-DC (-7%) and NY-Boston (-4%) performed below the rest of the route in January FY12… Acela % Change Ridership Ticket Revenues FY10/11 Budget FY10/11 Budget FY11 +5% +2% +12% +7% October FY12 -3% -6% +3% -3% November FY12 0% -2% +7% +1% December FY12 -7% -7% -3% -6% January FY12 0% -8% +1% -9% A - 3.1 Northeast Regional January FY12 Northeast Regional ridership was +11% vs January FY11 and +4% vs Budget. Ticket revenues were +8% vs January FY11 and -2% vs Budget. Ridership trends on Northeast Regional remain strong. Some cannibalization of trips from Acela to Northeast Regional may be occurring due to Northeast Regional being equipped with Wi-Fi. Business class ridership was +2% vs last year, and coach class ridership was +11% vs last year. By market segment January FY12 ridership vs FY11 was +11% in south of New York markets, +12% in north of New York markets, and +6% in through New York markets. Northeast Regional travel in the endpoint markets of NY-DC (+13%) and NY-Boston (+13%) were strong in January… Northeast Regional % Change Ridership Ticket Revenues FY10/11 Budget FY10/11 Budget FY11 +5% +2% +12% +7% October FY12 +4% -1% +2% -6% November FY12 +10% +6% +12% +4% December FY12 +5% +3% +2% -4% January FY12 +11% +4% +8% -2% State Supported & Other Short Distance Corridors January FY12 ridership on other corridor trains was +4% vs last year and on par with Budget. Ticket revenues were +7% vs last year and +2% vs Budget. Most routes on this business line performed ahead of last year. However, ridership on some routes continued to decline in January including the Vermonter (-16%), Wolverine (-5%), and Pacific Surfliner (-9%). However, January FY12 ridership remained strong on several routes including the Capitol Corridor (+7%), San Joaquin (+15%), Washington-Lynchburg (27%), and Washington-Newport News (+14%). The Cascades lost about 4,000 trips worth $150,000 in ticket revenues in January due to the cancellation of trains from severe winter weather… Short Distance Corridor % Change Ridership Ticket Revenues FY10/11 Budget FY10/11 Budget FY11 +7% +3% +10% +4% October FY12 +2% -2% +8% +1% November FY12 +1% -2% +10% +3% December FY12 0% -4% +5% -1% January FY12 +4% 0% +7% +2% A - 3.2 Long Distance January FY12 long distance train ridership was +2% vs last year and +1% vs Budget. Ticket revenues were on par with last year and -3% vs Budget. Long distance sleeper ridership in January was -7% vs last year while coach ridership was +4% vs January FY11. Due to track work impacting the Texas Eagle in January, this train’s ticket revenues were -14% vs last year. However, the Texas Eagle’s ridership was +30% year-over-year due to multiple counting of riders using the bus bridge that traversed the work area. The “real” ridership loss on the Texas Eagle was about -5,100 trips. The Auto Train’s ridership fell 14% below last year with ticket revenues dropping 3% vs. last January. However year-over-year trends remained strong on the Southwest Chief (+4%), Coast Starlight (+8%) and Palmetto (+8%)… Long Distance % Change Ridership Ticket Revenues FY10/11 Budget FY10/11 Budget FY11 +1% 0% +6% +4% October FY12 +2% +1% +5% +1% November FY12 +3% +2% +7% +4% December FY12 -1% -3% +1% -2% January FY12 +2% +1% 0% -3%
Amtrak has released its Jan performance report. Several items
1. Vermont RR went from worse ( 7700 ) to first (112 ) in number of delay minutes per 10,000 miles. This probably due to rail, tie, and surfacing completed this past fall by VTR allowing removal of many slow orders.
2. Eagle reidership up but revenue down due to bus bridge of passengers and then passengers double counted. Another reason that revenue passenger miles is a much better metric.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copied Amtrak's summary of each business line for your reading.
Amtrak Ticket Revenue and Ridership Summary Report – January 2012
January FY12 ridership of 2.23 million trips and ticket revenues of $134.8 million were both
about +5% vs January FY11. January ridership was on par with Budget but January ticket
revenues were -3% vs Budget. Strong Northeast Regional demand on both the NEC and
extensions into Virginia helped to drive January’s good performance vs last year…
Amtrak January FY12 Ridership and Ticket Revenues
(millions)
--------------- Ridership ---------------- ------------ Ticket Revenues ---------
Other Other
Total NEC SD LD Total NEC SD LD
Jan FY12: 2.22 0.81 1.09 0.33 $134.8 $70.9 $31.4 $32.6
Jan FY11: 2.13 0.75 1.05 0.32 $129.0 $67.2 $29.2 $32.6
Jan FY12 Budget: 2.22 0.81 1.09 0.33 $139.0 $74.4 $30.9 $33.7
% vs FY11: +5% +8% 4% +2% +5% +6% +7% 0%
% vs Budget: 0% 0% 0% +1% -3% -5% +2% -3%
January FY12 Amtrak on-time performance was 85%, +9 points vs last January. On-time
performance for long distance trains was 79% vs 71% in January FY11. Acela on-time
performance in January FY12 was 92% vs 65% last year. January FY12 gasoline prices averaged
$3.44/gallon, +9% vs last January, and up 3% from December FY12. The national
unemployment rate fell to 8.3% in January.
Fiscal year-to-date through January FY12, Amtrak ridership of 9.96 million trips was +3% vs
FY11 and -1% vs Budget. Ticket revenues of $639 million were +5% vs FY11 and -1% vs
Budget.
Acela
January FY12 Acela ridership was about equal to last year but -8% vs Budget. Ticket revenues
were +1% vs last year and -9% vs Budget. Several possible reasons for Acela’s year-to-date
performance is cannibalization to Northeast Regional, the loss of Acela marketing/advertising in
FY12, and a smaller number of air-to-rail diversions due to the mild winter weather. First class
and business class ridership were -3% and even vs last year respectively. By market segment,
January FY12 ridership vs FY11 was even in south of New York markets, +3% in north of New
York markets, and -12% in through New York markets. Specifically the through New York
markets that are driving the decline in this segment year-to-date are New Haven-Washington
(-6%), Boston-Newark (-29%), Boston-Washington (-23%), and Boston-Philadelphia (-15%).
Acela ridership in the endpoint markets of NY-DC (-7%) and NY-Boston (-4%) performed below
the rest of the route in January FY12…
Acela % Change
Ridership Ticket Revenues
FY10/11 Budget FY10/11 Budget
FY11 +5% +2% +12% +7%
October FY12 -3% -6% +3% -3%
November FY12 0% -2% +7% +1%
December FY12 -7% -7% -3% -6%
January FY12 0% -8% +1% -9%
A - 3.1
Northeast Regional
January FY12 Northeast Regional ridership was +11% vs January FY11 and +4% vs Budget.
Ticket revenues were +8% vs January FY11 and -2% vs Budget. Ridership trends on Northeast
Regional remain strong. Some cannibalization of trips from Acela to Northeast Regional may be
occurring due to Northeast Regional being equipped with Wi-Fi. Business class ridership was
+2% vs last year, and coach class ridership was +11% vs last year. By market segment January
FY12 ridership vs FY11 was +11% in south of New York markets, +12% in north of New York
markets, and +6% in through New York markets. Northeast Regional travel in the endpoint
markets of NY-DC (+13%) and NY-Boston (+13%) were strong in January…
Northeast Regional % Change
October FY12 +4% -1% +2% -6%
November FY12 +10% +6% +12% +4%
December FY12 +5% +3% +2% -4%
January FY12 +11% +4% +8% -2%
State Supported & Other Short Distance Corridors
January FY12 ridership on other corridor trains was +4% vs last year and on par with Budget.
Ticket revenues were +7% vs last year and +2% vs Budget. Most routes on this business line
performed ahead of last year. However, ridership on some routes continued to decline in January
including the Vermonter (-16%), Wolverine (-5%), and Pacific Surfliner (-9%). However,
January FY12 ridership remained strong on several routes including the Capitol Corridor (+7%),
San Joaquin (+15%), Washington-Lynchburg (27%), and Washington-Newport News (+14%).
The Cascades lost about 4,000 trips worth $150,000 in ticket revenues in January due to the
cancellation of trains from severe winter weather…
Short Distance Corridor % Change
FY11 +7% +3% +10% +4%
October FY12 +2% -2% +8% +1%
November FY12 +1% -2% +10% +3%
December FY12 0% -4% +5% -1%
January FY12 +4% 0% +7% +2%
A - 3.2
Long Distance
January FY12 long distance train ridership was +2% vs last year and +1% vs Budget. Ticket
revenues were on par with last year and -3% vs Budget. Long distance sleeper ridership in
January was -7% vs last year while coach ridership was +4% vs January FY11. Due to track
work impacting the Texas Eagle in January, this train’s ticket revenues were -14% vs last year.
However, the Texas Eagle’s ridership was +30% year-over-year due to multiple counting of
riders using the bus bridge that traversed the work area. The “real” ridership loss on the Texas
Eagle was about -5,100 trips. The Auto Train’s ridership fell 14% below last year with ticket
revenues dropping 3% vs. last January. However year-over-year trends remained strong on the
Southwest Chief (+4%), Coast Starlight (+8%) and Palmetto (+8%)…
Long Distance % Change
FY11 +1% 0% +6% +4%
October FY12 +2% +1% +5% +1%
November FY12 +3% +2% +7% +4%
December FY12 -1% -3% +1% -2%
January FY12 +2% +1% 0% -3%
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