- Joined
- Feb 2, 2005
- Messages
- 962
November 25, 2019
Dear XXXXXXXX
Thank you for your continued correspondence regarding Amtrak. It is good to hear from you.
I appreciate of your concerns about the leadership of Amtrak Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson. In June 2017, Amtrak’s Board of Directors selected Richard Anderson, based on his work that led Delta Airlines from bankruptcy to success, to help Amtrak reduce its financial losses. According to Amtrak’s November 2019 monthly performance report, 32.5 million passengers used Amtrak in fiscal year 2019, an increase of 800,000 over the previous fiscal year. Additionally, last year, Amtrak had operated at a financial loss of $171 million; according to the report, those losses have been reduced to approximately $30 million in fiscal year 2019. Amtrak’s goal is to be profitable by 2021.
I understand that you are concerned about the proposals to make Amtrak profitable and how they will impact long-term service. Richard Anderson serves at the pleasure of the Amtrak Board. At the same time, Congress has the final say on proposals due to its authorizing and appropriation authority.
On October 31, 2019, the Senate passed H.R. 3055, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, 2020. This minibus appropriations bill provides $2.0 billion for Amtrak. This is approximately $58.4 million above the fiscal year 2019 enacted level. The bill also provides $1.32 billion for the national network and $680 million for the Northeast Corridor. The bill also expresses the sense of Congress that “(1) long-distance passenger rail routes provide much-needed transportation access for 4,700,000 riders in 325 communities in 40 States and are particularly important in rural areas; and (2) long-distance passenger rail routes and services should be sustained to ensure connectivity throughout the National Network (as defined in section 24102 of title 49, United States Code).”
Additionally, the accompanying Senate report language also reiterates congressional support for long-distance passenger rail routes. The following is an excerpt from the report:
National Network Services.—Amtrak’s long-distance routes provide much needed transportation access in hundreds of communities and for rural areas where mobility options are limited. Equally important are routes that provide service to rural areas from urban areas along the Northeast Corridor. During floor consideration of the Committee’s fiscal year 2019 bill, the Senate voted 95–4 in favor of an amendment to express a sense of Congress that long-distance passenger routes should be sustained to ensure connectivity for the 4.7 million riders in 325 communities in 40 States that rely on this service. The budget request, however, proposes to reduce long-distance service by requiring cost-sharing between States and the Federal Government for operations of long-distance routes, similar to State-supported routes. This proposal will inevitably lead to service cuts or segmentation of routes, which will lead to less service for rural communities. The proposal would also shift significant shared and system-related costs to the NEC and State-supported routes if long-distance routes are terminated. The Committee does not support this proposal.
The House and Senate will now work to reconcile the differences between their versions of these bills. Please know I will keep your comments and support for Amtrak in mind as the appropriations process continues for fiscal year 2020.
Thank you again for contacting me. I hope you will continue to keep me informed of federal matters that are important to you. My offices in Iowa, as well as in Washington, D.C., are here to serve you.
Sincerely,
Dear XXXXXXXX
Thank you for your continued correspondence regarding Amtrak. It is good to hear from you.
I appreciate of your concerns about the leadership of Amtrak Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson. In June 2017, Amtrak’s Board of Directors selected Richard Anderson, based on his work that led Delta Airlines from bankruptcy to success, to help Amtrak reduce its financial losses. According to Amtrak’s November 2019 monthly performance report, 32.5 million passengers used Amtrak in fiscal year 2019, an increase of 800,000 over the previous fiscal year. Additionally, last year, Amtrak had operated at a financial loss of $171 million; according to the report, those losses have been reduced to approximately $30 million in fiscal year 2019. Amtrak’s goal is to be profitable by 2021.
I understand that you are concerned about the proposals to make Amtrak profitable and how they will impact long-term service. Richard Anderson serves at the pleasure of the Amtrak Board. At the same time, Congress has the final say on proposals due to its authorizing and appropriation authority.
On October 31, 2019, the Senate passed H.R. 3055, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, 2020. This minibus appropriations bill provides $2.0 billion for Amtrak. This is approximately $58.4 million above the fiscal year 2019 enacted level. The bill also provides $1.32 billion for the national network and $680 million for the Northeast Corridor. The bill also expresses the sense of Congress that “(1) long-distance passenger rail routes provide much-needed transportation access for 4,700,000 riders in 325 communities in 40 States and are particularly important in rural areas; and (2) long-distance passenger rail routes and services should be sustained to ensure connectivity throughout the National Network (as defined in section 24102 of title 49, United States Code).”
Additionally, the accompanying Senate report language also reiterates congressional support for long-distance passenger rail routes. The following is an excerpt from the report:
National Network Services.—Amtrak’s long-distance routes provide much needed transportation access in hundreds of communities and for rural areas where mobility options are limited. Equally important are routes that provide service to rural areas from urban areas along the Northeast Corridor. During floor consideration of the Committee’s fiscal year 2019 bill, the Senate voted 95–4 in favor of an amendment to express a sense of Congress that long-distance passenger routes should be sustained to ensure connectivity for the 4.7 million riders in 325 communities in 40 States that rely on this service. The budget request, however, proposes to reduce long-distance service by requiring cost-sharing between States and the Federal Government for operations of long-distance routes, similar to State-supported routes. This proposal will inevitably lead to service cuts or segmentation of routes, which will lead to less service for rural communities. The proposal would also shift significant shared and system-related costs to the NEC and State-supported routes if long-distance routes are terminated. The Committee does not support this proposal.
The House and Senate will now work to reconcile the differences between their versions of these bills. Please know I will keep your comments and support for Amtrak in mind as the appropriations process continues for fiscal year 2020.
Thank you again for contacting me. I hope you will continue to keep me informed of federal matters that are important to you. My offices in Iowa, as well as in Washington, D.C., are here to serve you.
Sincerely,
