Trump wants to cut Amtrak's long-distance routes

[Lunican]

This would include Amtrak service in Jacksonville.

Trump wants to cut Amtrak's long-distance routes

PRINCETON — President Donald Trump's proposed 13-percent cut in funds for the U.S. Department of Transportation's budget would eliminate Amtrak's long-distance routes.

The Southwest Chief and the California Zephyr that go through Princeton four times a day are two of the 15 long-distance trains Amtrak operates in the United States that Trump wants to cut in his recently released federal budget.

This budget proposal to eliminate funding for Amtrak's long-distance service could impact many of the 500 communities the railroad serves, said Wick Moorman, Amtrak president/CEO.

"Amtrak operates 15 long-distance trains across the nation, and these routes offer the only Amtrak service in 23 of the 46 states we serve," he said in a press release. "These trains connect our major regions, provide vital transportation to residents in rural communities and generate connecting passengers and revenue for our Northeast Corridor and state-supported services. Amtrak is very focused on running efficiently — we covered 94 percent of our total network operating costs through ticket sales and other revenues in FY '16 — but these services all require federal investment.

Full article:
http://www.bcrnews.com/2017/03/22/trump-wants-to-cut-amtraks-long-distance-routes/anjbvsq/

[Lunican]

220 Cities Losing All Passenger Train Service per Trump Elimination of all Federal Funding for Amtrak's National Network Trains

http://www.masstransitmag.com/press_release/12322126/220-cities-losing-all-passenger-train-service-per-trump-elimination-of-all-federal-funding-for-amtraks-national-network-trains

[pierre]

How else will we pay for the hundreds of millions of dollars that will go to Trump's weekend jaunts to Mar-a-Lago, Melania staying in NY and his sons' Secret Service detail when they travel the globe on business?

[spuwho]

How else will we pay for the hundreds of millions of dollars that will go to Trump's weekend jaunts to Mar-a-Lago, Melania staying in NY and his sons' Secret Service detail when they travel the globe on business?

Shift Amtrak capital spend from these annual budget fests to a fuel tax source, specifically diesel used for rail. 

Or franchise the routes to operators and have the served states pay to continue service.

I really hope Brightline does well.

[Jim]

How else will we pay for the hundreds of millions of dollars that will go to Trump's weekend jaunts to Mar-a-Lago, Melania staying in NY and his sons' Secret Service detail when they travel the globe on business?

Shift Amtrak capital spend from these annual budget fests to a fuel tax source, specifically diesel used for rail. 

Or franchise the routes to operators and have the served states pay to continue service.

I really hope Brightline does well.

You can't tax the oil.  We love oil.  Oil is the blood.  Drill, baby, drill. 

Sarcasm aside, K Street would never write a new tax law for oil.