Franchising Amtrak????

[Amfleet]

What if Amtrak started a franchise of sorts. Amtrak would run and own the NEC, but outside the NEC supply equipment, amenities, food, etc. to freight railroads or other transportation compaines for a fee. The "host" railroads would be incharge of crews/attendants, dispatching, and running the passenger trains over their territory and make pacts with other railroads they run over. They would have to comply with certain regulations and rules just like McDonalds or Burger King. The government in turn could help out the freight railroads by updating safety and replacing badly worn rail lines Would it work?

 

[battalion51]

No freight company is ever going to want to run Amtrak. It's hard enough for Amtrak to run itself, let alone a third party sort of thing as many commuter ops do. That's just me though.

 

[gyuri_ft]

I would rather see Amtrak being in charge of the passenger services, UP, BNSF etc. in charge of the freight services and the Federal Goverment in charge of the track infrastructure everywhere.

IMHO it is a strategic issue to maintain the national railroad infrastructure in best possible shape (9/11). The service companies can compete for the best service, but the track HAS to be maintened no matter, what.

Therefore the NEC infrastructure (catenary, rails, etc) will be owned by the Feds but it won't have any relationship to Amtrak.

This way it will be (finally) possible to separate the huge infrastructure costs as it is done with the road and air transportation and the transportation service. If you buy your Greyhound tickets you are not paying for the road maintenace. If you buy your SothWest ticket, you don't pay for the air control system either. Why do you pay for the infrastructure on Amtrak?

This, of course, would raise the huge issue of the track ownership - I am not sure, UP or BNSF would be happy to give their tracks to the Feds in exchange of being freed from the maintenance costs. However, this should be the solution ultimately. Nowhere in the world the private ownership of tracks did work out.

I am affraid, it won't happen anytime in our life here.

 

[Viewliner]

I think that really altering any current ownership or operations now would really screw things up, and would create havoc. Transferring Infrasture is probably the only thing with potential. The thing is that at least with the NEC, Amtrak knows what is in its best interests, as its owned the NEC since about 1976, and been the national railroad for 32 years. The only real thing I feel that would help if Amtrak were treated like the airlines and had its infrasturcture funded more. I'm probably not the best person to ask a question like this, as its not really my field of expertise.

 

[Amtrak Watcher]

It is only necessary to remember why Amtrak was formed 30 years ago; nobody wanted to run the services.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I second what you said, Amtrak watcher.

 

[Steve4031]

I think Gunn has a good plan, and if the government supports him, we will be okay.

 

[Amfleet]

Okay, so it wasn't such a good idea, but I want to clarify that with my idea everything would still have the Amtrak logo, and there would only be one reservation/ARROW system, just instead of Amtrak hiring out workers and other company would.

 

[amtrakadirondack]

I don't like the idea, but if it means saving Amtrak, than I'm in.

 

[steve_relei]

A number of states have contracted with Amtrak to operate their trains--Caltrains, for example. Some parts of it may work. These states do seem to have enough confidence in Amtrak's engineers and such to allow it to operate its trains. Amtrak must be doing something right.