“The greatest good for the greatest number” is one basis for government services but it is not the only one. One example of another is the Pareto Optimum.
If Congress would guarantee bus service to unserved areas then we might discuss bus vs train service. But I see no reason to believe that Congress is about to do that.
Finally, even if the number of people who, because of age or infirmity, need passenger train service is small do you really believe that is a reason to dismiss their needs?
One fact needs to be realized here. The freight railroads have stated through the AAR that with regards to intercity rail passenger service, they will deal with only Amtrak. That being said, Amtrak needs to function less like a government agency and be more proactive regarding intercity routes and services. It may be that the states that support corridor passenger trains should select the majority of the directors and that board would select the CEO rather than politicians in Washington. I know that this sounds off topic, but it might bring a bit of reform.
In 2011, which is the latest year for comparative numbers, Amtrak’s average daily boardings at Dallas and Fort Worth, the DFW Metroplex anchor cities, was 251. Amtrak skews the numbers by reporting entrainments and detrainments. I halved the totals to come up with the averages. Most of the people getting off the trains in Dallas and Fort Worth got on there; most of the people getting on the trains will return to Dallas and Fort Worth. Amtrak has two trains (Texas Eagle and Heartland Flyer) serving the Metroplex.
I don’t know whether there is an active move to do away with Amtrak. It probably flies under the radar for most Texans, although when the cops shot a bad guy on the Eagle in Dallas, that got some local coverage. Most of my friends and acquaintances are not aware of its existence.
To the extent that the votes of the Texas Congressional delegation reflect the wishes of the Texans that sent them to Washington, one can say that the people of Texas don’t support Amtrak. Senator Hutchison was an Amtrak supporter, although to the best of my knowledge she never rode it. Senator Cornyn has tended to vote against it. Senator Hutchison was replaced by Senator Cruz, who is a Tea Party favorite, and is not likely to support government monies for Amtrak. The majority of the Texas delegation in the House, the last time I looked, had voted against Amtrak.
The average daily enplanements at Dallas Love Field and DFW were 85,949. In addition, several hundred if not a thousand or two additional people departed the Metroplex on Greyhound and Megabus.
Amtrak’s Texas ridership figures for 2012 are up from 2011 as noted. So too are the loses on its two trains. In FY12 the Eagle lost $34.5 million before depreciation, interest, and miscellaneous charges. This was up from $30.1 million in 2011 or 14.6 per cent. The loss for the Heartland Flyer was $3.8 millio
Representative Jeff Denham is chairman of the Railroad Committee so he is certainly important. But I think he is enigmatic.
You quote him saying he wants to reduce long-distance costs. He is also reported as supporting high speed rail in the northeast and being willing to spend “billions” on it. But he opposed HSR for his home state, California.
California has 20 per cent of all Amtrak routes and they all run on freight railroads. AAR President Edward Hamberger is concerned about his opposition to HSR in California. Most imports from Asia come through California and are shipped by freight railroads to other parts of the country. In California congestion on the rails, if it is not already a problem, could well become a problem. So AAR is concerned about Representative Denham’s positions.
At the same time Representative Denham is joining Amtrak in its special hiring outreach to Veterans and has appeared in public with Joe Boardman to support it. Denham is also a critic of Amtrak food service. However, food service is a place that traditionally has a relatively high turnover and offers positions to people looking for jobs. Here he seems to send a mixed message.
Finally, Representative Denham has sponsored a bill to allow people to take their pets on all trains. That has to have cost implications, especially for long distance trains and especially for having employees with special training to look after them both on trains and in stations. Again, he seems to send a mixed message.
Don’t prune or cut anything! if it can be avoided. You might end up like Via Rail and have limited service between big cities like Montreal and Halifax.
It is also clear that a lot of the recommendations were not so easy to put in place. But, Amtrak and FRA didn’t act like it was very important, either. They just listed all the excuses “why not” and carried on.
"Please call your Congressman and Senators today! You can get their phone numbers here.
This is the last week before Congress adjourns for summer recess, and as with most groups, Congress tends to act at the last minute.
In the Senate, it is possible that a Reid/McConnell deal tonight will agree on cloture, agree on which amendments will get votes, and enable final passage on Thursday. Senator Flake (R-AZ) has offered an amendment, that we hope will fail, ending food service on trains.
In the House, voting could begin as early as 5 or 6 PM tonight. The meeting could last until midnight tonight or tomorrow (the latter if enough members don’t show up today). Some Amtrak amendments which have surfaced include:
Broun (R-GA)- Eliminate Amtrak Capital Funds
Broun- Eliminate Amtrak Operating Funds
Blackburn (R-TN)- Eliminate Amtrak Capital Funds
Mica (R-FL)- Eliminate/Reduce Food & Beverage Service on Amtrak
Mica- Allow for certain Amtrak routes to be contracted out to other operators
Our general message to the House and Senate is we want them to oppose anti-Amtrak amendments – and recognize the food & beverage proposals as the killers they are.