Viability of Long Distance Trains Without Corridor Infrastructure

[Rover]

I'd like to see much more Govt. help for LD infrastructure improvements that would benefit passenger rail.

 

[dlagrua]

With all of the speculation about LD passenger rail and where it is headed, the 2017 congressional budget should be in place shortly.

 

[ainamkartma]

With all of the speculation about LD passenger rail and where it is headed, the 2017 congressional budget should be in place shortly.

My understanding is that there will be a continuing resolution through at least the end of the fiscal year, but of course that is just conjecture coming through the rumor mill. My Kevin Bacon number to Paul Ryan is like two, though, so take it for what it is worth. If I am right, there will be no budget this year.

We shall see, I guess.

Ainamkartma

 

[A Voice]

With all of the speculation about LD passenger rail and where it is headed, the 2017 congressional budget should be in place shortly.

My understanding is that there will be a continuing resolution through at least the end of the fiscal year, but of course that is just conjecture coming through the rumor mill. My Kevin Bacon number to Paul Ryan is like two, though, so take it for what it is worth. If I am right, there will be no budget this year.

We shall see, I guess.

Ainamkartma

Having a FY2018 budget in place by October would be a pleasant surprise, let alone any sooner.....

 

[Bob Dylan]

Continuing rez from the Do Nothing Congress. Book it Danno!.

 

[railiner]

Even if there were no other trains on the West Coast but the Coast Starlight, they could rotate its consist at either end with the Southwest Chief or the Empire Builder to get to Chicago for major maintenance.

In the earlier years of Amtrak, where Amtrak had no major operation, or mechanical forces available, they contracted with the host freight railroads to provide same...places like Denver, for example...

 

[neroden]

But definitely, the more service you have from a given location or maintenance base, the lower the cost per unit.

This. This right here. When they ran the maintenance bases for only a few trains a day, they looked really expensive! Now, for lots of trains per day, they don't!

 

[neroden]

My understanding is that there will be a continuing resolution through at least the end of the fiscal year, but of course that is just conjecture coming through the rumor mill. My Kevin Bacon number to Paul Ryan is like two, though, so take it for what it is worth.

A CR for the fiscal year is actually a pretty good outcome for Amtrak.
This year -- June -- Amtrak makes the last payment on the Penn Station mortgage. There have been some headwinds due to bad press and low gas prices, but ridership and revenue are still holding pretty close to flat. Who knows, they might even go up. Amtrak should be seeing some benefits on the cost side from retiring the HHP-8s and AEM-7s and most of the Heritage baggage cars. If they can get the same federal funding as last year, it should be a good year financially.