30 Million Riders an Amtrak Record

[FayeforCure]

GALESBURG â€"


Although final figures are not expected to be released until next week, an Amtrak spokesman said Tuesday that the national passenger rail service surpassed 30 million riders for the first time in its history for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.

Steve Kulm, Amtrak’s director of media relations, said it takes time to compile the numbers. The 30 million figure has been expected for some time, however, as the number of riders grew during the year.

“We had previously said we anticipated and expected to surpass 30 million riders,” Kulm said. “We can confirm that we’ve done that, but the final numbers are still being counted.”

“Factors contributing to the continuing success of Amtrak include high gasoline prices, continued growth in business travel on the high-speed Acela Express trains (on the East Coast) with free Wi-Fi service and the increased appeal and popularity of rail travel and effective marketing campaigns,” according to an Amtrak news release.

The 30-million plus riders for fiscal year 2011 breaks the ridership record of 28.7 million set the year before. Amtrak has now set ridership records eight of the past nine years, according to the FY 2010 report and the latest information. Ridership increased 36 percent between FY 2000 and 2010.

Amtrak was so confident the record would be set, on Sept. 26 it provided its Facebook fans with a chance to win round-trip tickets for two, each day through Oct. 15 in anticipation of reaching the 30 million figure. Individuals must “like” Amtrak on Facebook in order to enter.

The record comes during the 40th anniversary celebration of Amtrak. The Amtrak Exhibit Train visited Galesburg on Sept. 24 and 25, the train’s only visit in Illinois outside of Chicago. The online blog for the Exhibit Train said of the visit to Galesburg that “the downstate crowd’s warmth and excitement was definitely contagious.”

Amtrak serves more than 500 destinations in 46 states and three Canadian provinces. Fifteen states, including Illinois, work in partnership with the passenger rail line to provide state-supported service.

Four of the eight Amtrak stops in Galesburg each day are made by state-supported trains, The Carl Sandburg and the Illinois Zephyr, which provide daily service between Chicago and Quincy. Although ridership was not broken down by city, 222,419 passengers rode the trains between Chicago and Quincy during FY 2011.

Overall ridership in Galesburg, including the long-distance California Zephyr and Southwest Chief, typically is about 100,000 each year. Through August of this year, 77,320 passengers boarded Amtrak trains in Galesburg. Figures with month to go in the fiscal year showed ridership in Galesburg to be ninth highest out of 37 Amtrak stops in Illinois.

http://www.galesburg.com/news/x748724324/30-million-riders-an-Amtrak-record

[JeffreyS]

Oh how I wish Obama had been visionary enough to know when he came to office Amtrak and local rail is where the bang for the buck was and is. I am not trying to pick a fight Faye I love HSR but Obama set an eight billion dollar figure as the phase one budget and that would have gone further in Amtrak speed up and expansion.  Kudos Amtrak I only road you twice this year but they were both on time and easy.

[FayeforCure]

Oh how I wish Obama had been visionary enough to know when he came to office Amtrak and local rail is where the bang for the buck was and is. I am not trying to pick a fight Faye I love HSR but Obama set an eight billion dollar figure as the phase one budget and that would have gone further in Amtrak speed up and expansion.  Kudos Amtrak I only road you twice this year but they were both on time and easy.

Yup we're better off just killing Amtrak right off the bat and then blame Obama for it:

(hey JeffreyS.......I'm running the Republican scenario........I know you support Amtrak)


Amtrak funding plan would cut local routes; few expect 60 percent funding cut to stand


Published: 9/16/2011 | Updated: 10/2/2011


By DOUG WILSON
Herald-Whig Senior Writer

State and national officials say a U.S. House plan to eliminate federal funding for regional Amtrak routes is far from a done deal.
Quincy's Amtrak service on the Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg trains would be threatened under a plan by the House Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee to cut Amtrak's budget by 60 percent and ban the use of federal dollars to help operate any routes that receive funding support from states.
Quincy Mayor John Spring said he will fight the proposed cuts, which would essentially kill both trains to Quincy.
"I don't see that as a plausible way to reduce our nation's deficit by eliminating jobs and by eliminating what's become a strong form of transportation once again," Spring said.
"There's always attacks on Amtrak because it is so heavily federally subsidized. Some of these routes, like our routes, operationally, if you remove equipment, remove infrastructure and all that, you're probably running close to 80 percent funded. But I realize that it's just not the operation, you've got equipment."
Steve Kulm, director of Amtrak media relations, describes the House proposal as both shortsighted and unfortunate. In any case, Kulm does not expect Congress to complete its budget work by Oct. 1, the start of fiscal 2012. For that to happen, the full House would have to approve the Amtrak budget. The U.S. Senate would have to pass it, as well, or a conference committee would have to work out any differences before both chambers of Congress dealt with a compromise bill.
"I don't know anybody who thinks that whole process is going to happen in the next two-and-a-half weeks," Kulm said.
The House plan would cut Amtrak's budget from $562 million for operations this year to $227 million next year. The cuts would zero out $188 million that represents the federal cost-share on regional routes in 15 states.
In Illinois, $28 million a year supports regional routes such as those to Quincy and Carbondale.
"It's unfortunate that they are targeting the regional routes, because that's where we're seeing a lot of our growth," Kulm said. "Amtrak is on track to have a record 30 million passengers this year. We've set records seven of the last eight years."
Ridership is up along the Quincy-to-Chicago corridor. From October to June, the Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg trains handled 165,568 passengers, up 8.5 percent from the October-June period in fiscal 2010.
"Since we introduced that second train in 2006, it's unbelievable the people that take advantage of this," Kuhn said.
Marc Magliari, an Amtrak spokesman from Chicago, said ridership has risen for more than 20 months.
Ross Capon, president of the National Association of Railroad Passengers, calls the House subcommittee plan a "kill-Amtrak bill."
"Denying Americans the freedom to choose train travel makes no sense in a world of high gasoline prices and overcrowded highways and airports. It is equally senseless in a job-starved economy to take jobs away from the public and private sector workers who build, operate and maintain trains," Capon said.
Amtrak's total budget this year is $3.8 billion, with a federal contribution of $1.4 billion. The federal dollars come in two parts -- an operating grant of $562 million and about $850 million for capital debt service. The rest of the $3.8 billion in the budget comes from ticket sales and state cost-sharing.
Congress had ordered Amtrak to come up with a cost-sharing plan that will take effect in 2014. Kulm said the current House proposal would derail those talks and force states to come up with money in the middle of state budget years.
"The proposal, as it is, would force this decision now. We think that's shortsighted," Kulm said.
White House officials did not comment directly on the House plan but said President Barack Obama's jobs plan would promote more Amtrak service rather than less.

Herald-Whig Staff Writer Matt Hopf provided information for this story.

â€" dwilson@whig.com/221-3372

http://www.whig.com/story/news/Amtrak-cuts----091611

Thank you, my homeboy Mr. John Mica, for that genius proposal to Cut Amtrak funding by 60%!!

I just LOVE what you do for Amtrak    snark

So much for the local "visionaries" we keep re-electing while we blame Obama for everything.

[FayeforCure]

Here is visionary supported by facts:

EDITORIAL: GOP tries to derail Amtrak

Congress should guard the rail system’s federal subsidy

Published: (Friday, Sep 30, 2011 05:01AM) Midnight, Sept. 30


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Sen. Frank Lautenburg, D-N.J., opened a recent hearing on the future of U.S. passenger rail service by observing that the federal government last year spent more than $40 billion on highways â€" more than it has spent on Amtrak in its 40-year history.

A longtime champion of national rail service, Lautenburg denounced a Republican proposal to cut Amtrak’s operation by 60 percent and to privatize its high-traffic routes.

“It’s like cutting throats,” he said.

Republicans have been trying for years to cut Amtrak’s throat. Under President George W. Bush, GOP lawmakers tried to wipe out Amtrak’s operating subsidy and allow private operators to skim its profitable routes.

House Republicans are targeting Amtrak once again, introducing a proposal to reduce funding for Amtrak operations in 2012 from the current level of $563 million to $227 million. They also want to strip federal funding from short routes, which make up almost half of all Amtrak ridership.

Congress created Amtrak in 1971 to save a rail industry that was dying as Americans abandoned rail to cruise the interstate in automobiles. Since then, times have changed. Highways and airports became clogged with travelers, gas prices surged and global warming raised concerns about emissions of greenhouse gas.

The GOP assault on Amtrak reflects the worst instincts of Republicans, who seem oblivious to its resurgent popularity. Amtrak is enjoying its sixth year of record ridership and expects to carry more than 30 million passengers this year.

Republican resistance to national rail service stems from the fact that Amtrak never has made a profit and requires government assistance.

Never mind that the United States is the only major industrialized nation with a substandard national rail system â€" and that European and Asian nations provide hefty rail subsidies and are far ahead of the United States in the development of high-speed rail.

And never mind that the United States pours tens of billions of dollars annually into subsidizing airlines, highways and ports â€" and a relative pittance into maintaining and operating interstate passenger rail service.

If Congress wants to improve Amtrak’s bottom line, lawmakers should heed the advice of Amtrak’s inspector general, Ted Alves, who suggests restructuring Amtrak’s debt. Alves also cites the need to improve long-distance train service, but that’s unlikely to happen until the host railroads stop giving freight trains priority over passenger rail and improve infrastructure, which they refuse to do without more federal subsidies.

President Obama’s proposed jobs bill would provide spending to update passenger rail systems. The bill would grant $4 billion to design and build a new high-speed railway. Another $2 billion would be allocated for repairs and upgrades.

Even with a major increase in funding, Amtrak is years away from providing a European-style system, including bullet trains that can run at top speeds in excess of 200 mph.

But Congress can ensure the continuation of its national rail system by continuing the subsidies that Amtrak needs to keep the nation moving.

http://www.registerguard.com/web/opinion/26952785-47/amtrak-rail-service-congress-federal.html.csp


Sounds to me like Obama was the true visionary here, while homeboy John Mica persists in the slash and burn of US Public train travel as he is unrelenting in his efforts to get "government out of the way," except for corporate socialism of course for his chosen buds: Colorado Rail Car.

[JeffreyS]

Come on GOP sometimes I have to fly into Baltimore and Amtrak gets me right out. Isn't that reason enough to invest in Amtrak.

[JeffreyS]

Here is a petition to support Amtrak.
http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/save_amtrak/index.html?rc=LA_Amtrak_10032011_ad1