House FY 24 Budget Proposals And Amtrak

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https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews ... scal-2024/

Fair Use:

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans have released a proposed budget for fiscal 2024 that would effectively force Amtrak “to radically reduce or suspend service on various routes across the nation,” according to Amtrak President Stephen Gardner.

The legislation marked up Wednesday also calls for substantial reductions in infrastructure programs benefitting passenger rail. Its release begins a negotiating process among lawmakers that follows a Memorial Day debt reduction deal hammered out between President Joe Biden and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

The table below shows that the bulk of the appropriators’ Amtrak cuts were inflicted on the Northeast Corridor, but because corporate overhead is also allocated to long-distance and state-supported routes, the entire network would be at risk.

My reaction;

https://youtu.be/os2TzmuI-lw

Lest we forget:

https://time.com/5144561/trump-budget-cuts-amtrak-half/

Trust that it's noted that the main "victim" appears to be the Corridor. Lest we further note who runs free, Equidae or Pachyderms, through that region?

Post redacted in its entirety by an admin

Beware of what you ask for Mr. West Point, because these same NEC states could say to hell with you red states. We are divided enough as a country. We don't need to add more fuel to the fire. A partnership between Amtrak and the corridor states in which the costs are shared between both sides.

Do not get to wrapped up in politics. Its a club and you and I are not invited, they let us vote to make us feel like we are making a difference. Take a hard look at the past 40 years. Do you realize it took from George Washington to Ronald "ray guns" Reagan to spend a trillion dollars. The US Gov't now does that in less than a year, month or week where has it gotten us.

Worry about red and blue BBBWWWWWHHHHAAAAAA. What we need to worry about is the printing press that never stops.

Now back to trains...

Well, there is a lot of animosity out here in 'flyover' country, and it is not going away anytime soon. Even if all the reps and senators from the NEC states stayed together, there are more than enough reps and senators from elsewhere that can shut them down.

Outside of the NEC [remember Nothing Else Counts], even the Chicago Hubs, Pacific Surfliner, Northwest Passenger services, Amtrak is seen as a joke. The only reason for services outside of NEC is to secure votes for the NEC. In reality that is what Amtrak was started for.

The Acela or whatever is going to be called is for 'elites' only since there are not standard coach service. Essentially an all parlor car run, you might not think so, but to average person it is.

Do not get me started on food service but what sense is it to cut out the majority of customers from dining. The cut in dining [and who can get it] was said to be a response to reduce food subsidy, to most it is just a spiteful action that could have easily been done by SP or PC at their worst.

HSR costs escalate for every increase of speed to the point of no return, so after so much speed and distance [perhaps 300 miles] it is not worth it.

Then there is the management and governance of Amtrak. It has not been too good. The NEC's hold on the board needs to be broken. Board number increased from five to at least six with no more than three from NEC. Better accounting of costs, revenues. Have they ever tried to talk with people outside of the Beltway? Really do not think so. All we ever see is another 'study' that could be one from 50 years ago with the front cover updated and another expenditure of $$$ to line someone's pocket.

From what I get, most of the folks out in the field do a good job. So this isn't anything on them.

ADMIN NOTE

DISCUSS THE ISSUES.

Discuss voting decisions by people with civility.

Admins and mods will be generous with the carving knives if you go ugly.

On all appropriation and authorization bills this year, the House Majority is working very hard to roll the US Government back to 1928.

The conference committees will be … exciting … this year.

urr304 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 15, 2023 8:57 am Outside of the NEC [remember Nothing Else Counts], even the Chicago Hubs, Pacific Surfliner, Northwest Passenger services, Amtrak is seen as a joke. The only reason for services outside of NEC is to secure votes for the NEC. In reality that is what Amtrak was started for.....Do not get me started on food service but what sense is it to cut out the majority of customers from dining. The cut in dining [and who can get it] was said to be a response to reduce food subsidy, to most it is just a spiteful action that could have easily been done by SP or PC at their worst.

Mr. URR, I'd like to limit my response to the two captioned points you made in your immediate, and which I will do with as much respect as the Good Lord gave me capacity to do.

Addressing the matter of Regional services away from the Corridor, Amtrak is required by law, starting with RPSA70, to maintain a national presence so that any Local jurisdiction prepared to fund an intercity passenger train at levels prescribed by law, Amtrak is obliged to use its powers to force a Class I to "negotiate in good faith" provisions over which this proposed service can use their lines. Amtrak is further obligated to provide Rules Qualified Train and Engine crews to operate the service, equipment from their pool of such when needed, and their fifty plus years of "intuitional know how" in operating passenger trains. If a jurisdiction, such as yours based on your reported location, is not prepared to fund such a train, then that is why you have duly elected local representatives.

Now so far as your point regarding full-service Dining available to all passengers on an LD train, presuming Coach passengers will pay for such, it is far less predictable as to how much demand there will, or will not, be for the service on any given train. That either gives rise to the "we're all of...." or needless waste when unused food is condemned. With the service being limited to the Private Room passengers, "we're out of..." is much less likely to occur.

I hope you will accept these comments with the same degree of respect that I believe I have afforded yours.

Mr.Norman, it is okay. I am just not in a mood to carry water for Amtrak anymore.

Frankly, the only times I have been on a train since 1994 have been excursions, and flying hasn't been required since 2004.

About dining, perhaps they could sell coach with or without dining car meals; then they would have a count.

We will see what happens now.

Reserving meals along with a reserved coach seat ought to work. (Isn't it somebody's job at Amtrak to think of things like that? That's what Marketing Departments are for.) ATSF used to offer a booklet of meal tickets for all meals on El Capitan at a discounted price so passengers would know in advance that all their meals en route were paid for.

Thought + Amtrak = can not compute

As an example every time an emergency situation pops up it is the first time it has ever happened. Same for the change of seasons. I asked once why there is not a book for when things go sideways with basic directions to get the ball rolling so to speak and was look at like I came from the planet Vulcan.

I stopped long ago trying to make sense of some of the decisions upper management has made and continues to make on a daily basis. As my coworkers and i say when you realize to stop asking questions, your Amtrakanized.

In a previous life I was a sous chef so directions for cooking had to taught and followed along with the actual running of the kitchen. Hence my thought on the book. I now look at it like this, the circus is just to big for the tent.
However I will share the Amtrakanized idea around Albany. I do really like it make a lot of sense.

When I started on the PRR in the late 1950's one of the "old heads" in the office used say from time to time, with a resigned air, "we have to assume they know what they're doing." I guess that's been around for awhile.

The boys in Boston are gonna need a royalty