Amtrak CEO Flynn’s Letter to Congress

[jis]

https://www.globalrailwayreview.com..._cXjBbthY6p2rhTmZ7CavllGp6Wqq4lac-fsYp2f6qY3g

 

[mlanoue]

Doesn't sound to me like Mr. Flynn is trying to kill passenger rail. These are some good priorities.

 

[sttom]

I will give him props for bringing up rail's lack of a federal trust fund and that the most growth is coming from stretches of 500 miles. Its almost like the average long distance trip is between 200 and 300 miles instead of the 750 miles Amtrak was saddled with. If he can get some substantive change on those fronts and not ruin the existing services, I will count that as a success.

 

[Steve4031]

This makes sense. If these areas are addressed the long distance network could be preserved and improved.

 

[AM_ROAD]

He actually mentions the need to grow and add routes. Color me shocked this was brought up.

 

[Dakota 400]

I was surprised that Amtrak seeks the right to bring an action in a U. S. District Court if their preference rights are not honored by the host railroad. I thought that Amtrak had the option, but never used it for whatever reason.

 

[20th Century Rider]

The letter to Congress looks good to me. And I think Flynn has support from the Executive branch of government... but when it comes to funding for a very substantial but justifiable wish list, the legislative branch will determine where things go.

When you consider most of the leading countries of the world enjoy passenger rail systems more advanced than ours, then we must assume there is some logical optimism!

 

[IndyLions]

I too, like the priorities.

A primary reason for pessimism, however, is the fact that most of these issues have been around for the full 50 years of Amtrak – and we really haven’t gotten anywhere with getting them solved...

Despite this, I will choose to be optimistic!

 

[toddinde]

There are many reasons for optimism that make this time different from others.
1. Bipartisan support. Amtrak has friends on both sides of the aisle. That can change quickly as we saw in Wisconsin going from Tommy Thompson to Scott Walker, but for now, Amtrak is bipartisan.
2. Money isn’t what it once was. The balanced budget thing has died, and most economists understand that growing GDP reduces the debt to GDP ratio more than austerity. Infrastructure is a great investment.
3. Electric cars will make rail more attractive for the sweet spot journeys of 500 miles.
4. Rail is affordable infrastructure in comparison to ever expanding highways and aviation.
5. The economic impact of passenger rail on intermediate communities is tremendous.
6. The lifestyle of young people today is more comparable with rail travel.
7. The US can’t compete with peer competitors without an improved passenger rail system. Our current, inefficient highway and aviation centric system is a productivity waster.
There are a host of other reasons. Advocates need to learn that it’s not 1975 any more. The world is completely different, and the old rules are gone.

 

[Dakota 400]

2. Money isn’t what it once was. The balanced budget thing has died, and most economists understand that growing GDP reduces the debt to GDP ratio more than austerity. Infrastructure is a great investment.

I agree with what you are saying about what "most economists" think, but there remains a political party where they sometimes are very concerned about our national debt. But, then, at other times, not so much concerned.

Agree totally that infrastructure investment would be a great one and one that is badly needed in this country.

 

[Barb Stout]

I agree with what you are saying about what "most economists" think, but there remains a political party where they sometimes are very concerned about our national debt. But, then, at other times, not so much concerned.

And now that Trump is no longer in the White House, that certain party is once again becoming very concerned about national debt and spending money in general.

 

[Asher]

And now that Trump is no longer in the White House, that certain party is once again becoming very concerned about national debt and spending money in general.

Back to Square1, same dummies that did nothing to hang their hat on for 8 years, and that allowed the big dummie to take over for 4

 

[Acela150]

When I first had the chance to read the list, I was absolutely flabbergasted.

While I hope that some, if not all of these happen. I'm sadly not optimistic.

 

[Larry H.]

I agreed with the need to restore more rail services to avoid having to go to a few large hubs which discourages all but the most determined rain travelers. Where I live now had a direct connection to St. louis taking a little over a hour to get there. They stopped that and now it would take almost the entire day and many times the fare to do the same trip. The National Limited or at least some other routes east an west are needed though out the country. Extended past St. Louis to Omaha would add a far more convienient way to go to the east coast from much of the midwest. I guess the trouble is your still missing most of the nations ability to use rail even with one new line? A system that really works for everyone needs to have the original existing lines that Amtrak dumped in the first couple years restored to let people have half a chance to go rail.

 

[cirdan]

In my view one of the most pressing immediate issues facing Amtrak is getting new equipment for LD routes. If that isn't addressed soon, we will be seeing trains cut for lack of equipment.

But apart from that, the tone of this letter is upbeat and it's good to see Amtrak going from fighting to defend what it has to actually being able to think about adding service.

 

[Cal]

https://www.globalrailwayreview.com..._cXjBbthY6p2rhTmZ7CavllGp6Wqq4lac-fsYp2f6qY3g

And what is the likelyhood of this actually happening? And what does this mean for long distance services?

 

[Cal]

In my view one of the most pressing immediate issues facing Amtrak is getting new equipment for LD routes. If that isn't addressed soon, we will be seeing trains cut for lack of equipment.

But apart from that, the tone of this letter is upbeat and it's good to see Amtrak going from fighting to defend what it has to actually being able to think about adding service.

I agree, I really want Amtrak do to their best to preserve long distance travel. It's a necessity to the smaller cities, could be a great vacation, and is very historic for the United States. I really want to see it improve.

A bit off topic, but is there going to be more consistency in the staff on Amtrak? It feels like you can either have great staff who do all they can to help, or people who yell at you for no reason. On Yelp, this is pushing many people away from Amtrak, and it seems like a big area for improvement.

 

[jis]

And what is the likelyhood of this actually happening? And what does this mean for long distance services?

Your guess is as good as mine. So what do you think?

 

[Cal]

Your guess is as good as mine. So what do you think?

Honestly I don't know. I'm not great with politics and such (am under 18), so I can't be sure. I feel like this is going to be our best bet for the funding with the Biden administration. However from what I understand, it still won't be easy to get everyone on board.

I think they may be able to make some headway with negotiating with *some* current railroads for new service. Same with the preference.

As for the trust fund and new routes. I mean, we are still in a better place than ever with Biden. However it will take a lot of work to get these done.

I don't know, that's my best guess with my knowledge. I'm sure you and other members will be able to make much more educated estimates