Republican Attack on Amtrak Intensifies w. Falsehoods intended as Facts ie LIES

[FayeforCure]

Lies about Amtrak not being viable due to level of government support:

In a hearing of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee last Thursday, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) spoke out against privatizing the Northeast Corridor and reminded the committee how vital the line currently is.

“If we shut down the Northeast Corridor rail service, you’d have to build seven new lanes on Interstate 95 just to carry all the travelers that use these trains every day,” Lautenberg said.

Lautenberg also took on the popular criticisms that Amtrak takes too much Federal funding to qualify as a viable institution, and that it should be shut down if it can not turn a profit without government support.

Last year, we spent more than $40 billion on highways. Over Amtrak’s entire 40-year history, we’ve spent just under $38 billion total. That’s worth repeating: Amtrak has received less federal money in its history than highways get in a single year.

Rep. Corrine Brown (D-FL) also stressed that Amtrak should not be criticized for accepting Federal funds when highways and airports also receive substantial government support. “There is no form of transportation that supports itself. I don’t support cherry-picking the best routes in our system and turning them over to the private sector.”

http://alttransport.com/2011/05/republicans-seek-to-privatize-railroads-because-that-worked-so-well-last-time/

LIES on Ridership corrected:

“In 1976, Amtrak ran Clocker trains, which was a commuter train from New York to Philadelphia. That service made up about one-half of the ridership on the NEC; however, the service was taken over by New Jersey Transit in 2005. To compare 1976 ridership (which included Clocker ridership) with 2010 ridership (which had no Clocker service) does not provide a valid comparison. If you remove the Clocker service from the calculation, which is an accurate comparison, then service on the NEC has actually increased from 6.4 million riders in 1976 to 10.4 million riders in 2010, a 38 percent increase.”

Brown pointed out what she viewed as other errors.

“Your chart also maintained that NBC ridership peaked in 2000, with a total of 12.9 million riders. In 2000, NEC ridership in Amtrak’s annual and monthly reports included the following trains: Metroliners, the Ethan Allen Express, the Vermonter, Northeast Direct, the Clockers-Philadelphia to Harrisburg, the Empire, the Adirondack-New York to Harrisburg, and special trains. However, in 2010, many of these trains are now assigned to state-supported routes and are no longer assigned to the NEC, which is why the 2010 ridership levels show a lower number of riders.”

She offered a corrected chart that shows that ridership on the NEC peaked in 2008, with 10.9 million riders. There was a slight decrease from 2008 to 2009 due to the economic crisis, “but ridership for 2011 is likely to exceed 2008 levels, and set a new Amtrak NEC ridership record.”

http://floridatransportationtoday.typepad.com/florida-transportation-ne/2011/06/brown-disputes-micas-amtrak-numbers.html

[Jaxson]

Would we not want to offer an alternative to air travel in these post-9/11 times?  For all of our complaints and grievances with airlines for their fleecing customers and for the TSA abuses, we seem to be stuck on stupid with our blind devotion to airlines.  The airlines know that they have us over a barrel - even when travel by train would be just as reasonable. 

[thelakelander]

Just left a meeting in Daytona where Mica was the guest speaker. His proposal to overturn Amtrak comes out next week.

[thelakelander]

He wants to privatize parts of Amtrak's network. It's going to be a part of his transportation bill he's releasing next week.

[FayeforCure]

He wants to privatize parts of Amtrak's network. It's going to be a part of his transportation bill he's releasing next week.

Yeah, he wants to privatize the profitable routes.........another prime example of corporate welfare!!!

[Ocklawaha]

Privatizing Amtrak is a straw man proposal, sounds like good old American Conservative principals on the surface but just under the page everyone knows that NOBODY is going to take us up on that offer unless some massive changes in tax incentives or other "profitability mechanisms" are enacted. If they were, then busting up Amtrak and giving it to the highest bidder on a route by route award would be not only intelligent, but highly desirable. The trouble has been, to date, NO ONE IN GOVERNMENT has been willing to sweeten the pot in order to make passenger rail service something that the private railroads or other corporations would peruse with vigor. Until then this is simply meaningless posturing for the cameras and the far right tea drinkers.

The weak link in Amtrak's support is the fact that with few exceptions, anyone born before 1960 that remembers what a real passenger train is, hardly respects Amtrak's bland sameness even if they are die hard railroaders. The non railroaders would like to see it go away, so they can grab that massive 1-2% of all of the intercity travel market that Amtrak has "cornered." This leaves only the progressive generation too young to know the difference in "We rode THE Amtrak," as opposed to "We rode the City of Miami, California Zephyr, Super Chief or Sunset Limited..." Today's generation talks of riding THE AMTRAK referring to various trains like they were pieces in a box of dominoes, but when they go on a cruise they sail on the "Fascination," "Star of Norway" or "QMII". The fault for this isn't today's generation, it's a federally operated monopoly that treats long-distance intercity trains like a red haired step child with all of the innovation and excitement of a box of dirt.

It will be interesting what John has to say, he will prove to either parrot the tired lines of extremist "eliminate the world" far right, or he will offer us a sparkling new idea that would allow us to grow the industry and break out of this long, long nightmare called Amtrak.

BTW, this is not another case of corporate welfare, because no corporation in their right mind would take on this challenge and Mica knows it. For all of the talk about Europe, Japan and China's "wonderful trains" only two intercity passenger rail routes in the world should be considered profitable, (Paris-Lyon, and Tokyo-Osaka). How would you like a chunk of THAT action? NOT!

Wow Amtrak, I'm impressed...

OCKLAWAHA

[NotNow]

Ock,

Do the railroads have any dedicated Federal financing similar to the gas tax for highways?  If there is, are there any other viable dedicated funding sources?  If not, what dedicated sources could be immediately placed into service?

[Ocklawaha]

Ock,

Do the railroads have any dedicated Federal financing similar to the gas tax for highways?  If there is, are there any other viable dedicated funding sources?  If not, what dedicated sources could be immediately placed into service?

"Once we get Positive Train Control, all of our problems will be solved!"
In 1971, this was the mainline of the passenger train, "South Wind," near Ocala.

Not a dime of dedicated funding or financing. There are some grants through the Federal Railroad Administration but they are not dedicated annual dollars. Even Amtrak has no dedicated funding, rather it lives year to year on appropriations.

To make matters worse, the little railroad funding planned by the Obama Administration is now under attack by the rabid right as "bringing down the Federal Budget..."  Another huge unknown is the stupid new MANDATE, which Congress failed to fund, that requires the railroads to implement nearly 100% coverage nationwide with PTC (POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL) a new type of signaling which could best be described as experimental. While it is in use and has been successful on the Florida East Coast and a couple of other locations in the country, nobody knows if it will even work in it's myriad configurations on a nationwide basis.

The only bright spot is that people generally love their trains, and as a result, such drastic cutting might well come back and bite them square in the ass. Consider that Amtrak (far from perfect as I have pointed out) has survived over 40 years in the most hostile political environment in railroad history.

It's a long, long, way from JIA, I-95, I-10, I-295, Jaxport etc... to the railroad tracks as far as the Federal Government is concerned.

OCKLAWAHA

[Lunican]

Privatizing the Northeast Corridor sounds like the same old plan to cancel all Amtrak long distance trains.

[Ocklawaha]

Frankly, I'd love to see privitazation, and the only area where that might remotely happen is the northeast corridor.

The only thing keeping Amtrak from approaching profitability on the long-distance routes is Amtrak itself, and the Congressional purse string stranglers. In a perfect world tomorrow I would:

Double Amtrak's long-distance routes from 15 to 30+, adding trains such as:

(Chicago-Indy-Cincinnati) (Detroit-Toledo-Cincinnati) (Buffalo-Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati) Cincinnati-Frankfort-Knoxville-Chattanooga-Atlanta-Macon-Valdosta-Jacksonville-Tampa/Miami.

New Orleans-Baton Rouge-Alexandria-Shreveport-Dallas-Ft. Worth-El Paso-Phoenix-Barstow-Los Angeles

Chicago/St. Louis-Champaign-Memphis-Birmingham-Columbus-Valdosta-Jacksonville-Tampa/Miami

Denver-Pueblo-Amarillo-Wichita Falls-Ft. Worth-Dallas-Houston

New York/Washington-Cincinnati-St. Louis-Kansas City

These are just samples of dozens of markets where Amtrak isn't even a player. In the recent past they have played the politics of the cutters so much that the company has made statements to the effect that there really are no expansion options... They have reached saturation... etc... IDIOTS!

Hey! I've got an idea for John and all of the local railroaders... Can't miss, big buck return on our private investment. Let's build a 200,000 square foot department store and stock exactly 15 items on 15 shelves somewhere in the middle of the store... Call me back in 40 years and let me know how that's working out for you.

OCKLAWAHA

[FayeforCure]

He wants to privatize parts of Amtrak's network. It's going to be a part of his transportation bill he's releasing next week.

Yeah, he wants to privatize the profitable routes.........another prime example of corporate welfare!!!

If this is true, then I apologize to you Faye.  

Thank you Stephen. Mica HAS never been bashful about wanting private industry to take over the only profitable Amtrak route: the Acela. It was a condition for his support of the last Amtrak funding bill.

[FayeforCure]

It seems that you were entirely correct on John Mica, despite his converstations with Ock and I, and I fully apologize to you for anything to the contrary that I have said or implied in the past.

This attempt to privatize in the name of privatization (undoubtedly to a few select friends and associates) is exactly what you said was behind his motivations.

It is wrong, short sighted and a disastrous policy. 

He is a fan of rail, but his goals would be better served in the private sector, and I for one hope that he is returned to it.

Stephen, I understand. It is sometimes hard to decipher a politician's true motivations, especially when they seem so personable and know to talk the talk. I also very much appreciate your sincerity in re-evaluating your earlier opinions.

There are far too many self-serving individuals in public office and with a re-election rate of 95% for incumbents, there isn't much we can do about it except when there are term limits.

[aaapolito]

I am currently traveling on an Amtrak train from Philly to Newark, NJ and it is a real pleasure to have this service.  Additionally, I traveled from north philly to the Amtrak station via commuter rail, SEPTA.

I am from Nj and no stranger to mass transportation.  I have lived in JAX for almost 4 years and as I ride this train, I truly believe that having mass transit would make our city better.  I hate to state the obvious, especially with several people who are just as familiar with train travel as I am.  So, for those who are not, you really don't know what you and JAX are missing.  

I only paid $49 for this fare.  The travel time from downtown philly to Newark is only 1 hr and 5 mins.  The drive would have taken me at least an hour and a half and there is always a risk of traffic that could make the trip upto 3 hrs.  You just can't beat that.

I really hope that we will be able to have commuter rail and a more significant Amtrak presence in and around our city.

I know that this was a bit far afield from the thread topic.  And truthfully, for me, mass transit isn't about republican or democrat.  It is about quality of life and making JAX a better place to live.  (And it already is a great place to live.  I would like to see it become greater.)

-posted from Alessandro's phone.

[Ocklawaha]

I'd like to repeat that call to Mica, and pick his brain on his privatization ideas. To illustrate how well the government is running the railroad I'd use the following example. A guy with cancer might need chemotherapy to save his life, but the chemotherapy isn't fun and won't be missed. In this case Amtrak was necessary to save the rail passenger industry, but it is so poorly laid out (Republicans) that nobody would miss it if it vanished tomorrow as long as there was at least an equal service to replace it.

The trick would be to find a way to make that alternative service produce at a profit, under current laws and taxation, an impossibility. So what has Mica got in mind? If the answer is; "nothing changes but we'll privatize it," then I'll gladly stay on your team Faye. If the answer was; "sweeping changes in transportation taxation and perks that would allow railroads to expand capacity AND run a better passenger service," then I'd be all about privatization. An idea completely doable.

Amtrak is the color gray, it is to private railroad operation what the military is to civilian life IE Bland, uniform, with GI issue food supplies. The biggest frustration for someone like myself is that it is completely doable but Washington lacking creativity only sees it as funded or eliminated.

Just for the sake of argument, what if the government created a scale that any railroad could take part in:100% of all fixed costs on a per train basis could be credited against corporate taxes.
On time 90% = another 5%
To expand services into new territory the same thing plus 10% would apply.
This concept came out of a California University gained ground then vanished.


I strongly suspect John will announce more of the same old thing...



OCKLAWAHA

[Ocklawaha]

John might be as off the track as the ones claiming the NEC makes money.

Yeah, he wants to privatize the profitable routes.........another prime example of corporate welfare!!!

Thank you Stephen. Mica HAS never been bashful about wanting private industry to take over the only profitable Amtrak route: the Acela. It was a condition for his support of the last Amtrak funding bill.

There is not an Amtrak route in the country that "makes money/"


"Myth: Long-distance trains are the problem.

* This is perhaps one of the biggest myths. If you eliminate every long-distance train, your avoidable costs would decrease about $70 million a year-after about a year and a half of making labor protection costs. On a fully allocated basis, after five years, you might save annually about $300 million. Focusing on this problem is not going to save Amtrak. This approach is a red herring.


Myth: The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is profitable.

* The NEC may cover most of its above-the-rail costs, but it is an extremely costly piece of railroad to maintain. The NEC is not profitable and never will be. Sure, private groups might be interested in having it, but they would take it only with the promise of massive capital infusions."


OCKLAWAHA