Amtrak on the hot seat today

[CHamilton]

Amtrak on track to set rider record

Amtrak is riding the wave of ridership records, but the national passenger railroad will most likely get the wind knocked out of it when its brass appears before a House hearing Tuesday.

It will be the second in a series of hearings in what House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) told POLITICO is his “holy jihad to try to get Amtrak’s operations under control.”

The hearing will drill down into how Amtrak competes for commuter rail contracts in what likely will be an uncomfortable examination for the passenger railroad.

A briefing document prepared by the committee posits that as providing commuter rail services has grown increasingly competitive, Amtrak has fared increasingly poorly in those competitions because of “Amtrak’s inability to adapt its nationwide model for intercity passenger rail to regional commuter rail markets.”

 

[JoeBas]

Amtrak on track to set rider record

Amtrak is riding the wave of ridership records, but the national passenger railroad will most likely get the wind knocked out of it when its brass appears before a House hearing Tuesday.

It will be the second in a series of hearings in what House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) told POLITICO is his "holy jihad to try to get Amtrak's operations under control."

The hearing will drill down into how Amtrak competes for commuter rail contracts in what likely will be an uncomfortable examination for the passenger railroad.

A briefing document prepared by the committee posits that as providing commuter rail services has grown increasingly competitive, Amtrak has fared increasingly poorly in those competitions because of "Amtrak's inability to adapt its nationwide model for intercity passenger rail to regional commuter rail markets."

[bREAKING NEWS:]John Mica doens't like trains[/bREAKING NEWS:]

 

[JoeBas]

Amtrak on track to set rider record

Amtrak is riding the wave of ridership records, but the national passenger railroad will most likely get the wind knocked out of it when its brass appears before a House hearing Tuesday.

It will be the second in a series of hearings in what House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) told POLITICO is his "holy jihad to try to get Amtrak's operations under control."

The hearing will drill down into how Amtrak competes for commuter rail contracts in what likely will be an uncomfortable examination for the passenger railroad.

A briefing document prepared by the committee posits that as providing commuter rail services has grown increasingly competitive, Amtrak has fared increasingly poorly in those competitions because of "Amtrak's inability to adapt its nationwide model for intercity passenger rail to regional commuter rail markets."

[bREAKING NEWS:]John Mica doens't like trains[/bREAKING NEWS:]

Oh, and by the way, today is 9/11©, someone should ask Mica why he hates America, being partisan on this holiest of holy days.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

The problem today is that folks like John Mica no longer represent the rare exception anymore. At this point he's actually representing the party platform itself when he attacks Amtrak.

 

[CHamilton]

Amtrak should exit commuter-rail service business, a top House Republican says

By Bloomberg News

Amtrak, the US long-distance passenger railroad, shouldn’t be in the business of operating commuter railroads under contract because it’s a bad deal for taxpayers, the top House Republican overseeing transportation said.

Amtrak, which receives taxpayer support, costs 11.5 percent more than private-sector commuter rail operators, US Representative John Mica, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said in a report that panel Republicans released Tuesday.

“Amtrak should not be in the commuter-rail business at all,” Mica, from Florida, said Tuesday at a hearing in Washington. “There are plenty of private-sector providers who can provide this service and provide it at lower costs.”

 

[amtrakwolverine]

John Mica just won't give up will he? he's after amtrak like the Anti doping agency was after lance Armstrong.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

John Mica just won't give up will he? he's after amtrak like the Anti doping agency was after lance Armstrong.

It's not really about Mica himself. Mica has a prized position and he is expected to bash publicly owned union friendly mass transit like Amtrak every chance he gets. If he doesn't bash Amtrak then he won't be fulfilling his duties of representing the GOP as the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. It's really as simple as that. In addition, if he can manage to help build momentum toward the eventual defunding of Amtrak he would be making a lot of powerful people very happy. People who could reward him very handsomely for his work.

 

[Anderson]

John Mica just won't give up will he? he's after amtrak like the Anti doping agency was after lance Armstrong.

It's not really about Mica himself. Mica has a prized position and he is expected to bash publicly owned union friendly mass transit like Amtrak every chance he gets. If he doesn't bash Amtrak then he won't be fulfilling his duties of representing the GOP as the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. It's really as simple as that. In addition, if he can manage to help build momentum toward the eventual defunding of Amtrak he would be making a lot of powerful people very happy. People who could reward him very handsomely for his work.

No, it is about Mica. I do not care what is "expected" of him and I've moved beyond giving too much of a pass to people because of expectations like that. Moreover, if he's doing this in expectation/hope of further reward, then it is about him not having the balls or integrity to at least not seek that reward.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

At this stage focusing on Mica is like pretending the Hydra only has one head. Meanwhile the systematic defunding of Amtrak as we know has been written into the party platform. In other words, it has ceased being about Mica and has became a party wide issue at this point. Even if Mica retired tomorrow there would be another Mica to take his place. If you really want Amtrak to thrive and succeed, as opposed to strive to subsist, you need to think a lot bigger than what to do about Mica. That's my view anyway.

 

[Anderson]

At this stage focusing on Mica is like pretending the Hydra only has one head. Meanwhile the systematic defunding of Amtrak as we know has been written into the party platform. In other words, it has ceased being about Mica and has became a party wide issue at this point. Even if Mica retired tomorrow there would be another Mica to take his place. If you really want Amtrak to thrive and succeed, as opposed to strive to subsist, you need to think a lot bigger than what to do about Mica. That's my view anyway.

I agree with you that the problem is broader. However, the fact is that Mica is the one doing it most obviously and he's one of those in a position to take leadership one way or another. To some extent, the issue is low enough on a lot of folks' radars that if the leadership just shut the hell up, the matter would fade from the radar for the most part since most voters (and even most Congressmen) aren't thinking about it often. This isn't abortion, it's not gay marriage, it's not even the debt or deficit or anything major like that...it is by and large an invented issue that a few socks in mouths would likely cause to fade off. If it dropped from the talking point card, it would more or less vanish into the ether.

Edit: And of course, here's an easy line for him to publicly excuse himself from holding these hearings: "Yeah, there's waste at Amtrak, but it's such a small part of the transportation budget that I'd rather focus my energy on something useful like controlling costs on highway construction or cutting red tape for new roads." Not even a pro-rail remark...simply a "focus on something major" suggestion.

 

[CHamilton]

GOP: 'Amtrak needs to get out of the commuter rail business'

Republicans in the House are picking up where they left off before the congressional recess when it comes to Amtrak: hammering the national passenger rail service for being inefficient.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released a report Tuesday arguing that Amtrak should privatize more of its rail service, which has been a longtime Republican goal.

 

[jmx53]

Video from the hearing: http://transportation.edgeboss.net/wmedia/transportation/20120911fc.wvx

 

[dlagrua]

If private industry can supply equal or better passenger rail service at a lower cost what is the objection to having it? The objective should be to offer the best rail service while saving taxpayer money. If there are no private operators that can offer quality service at a better price then of course I agree government should step in. I view this not as a partisan issue but as an economic issue.

 

[AlanB]

If private industry can supply equal or better passenger rail service at a lower cost what is the objection to having it? The objective should be to offer the best rail service while saving taxpayer money. If there are no private operators that can offer quality service at a better price then of course I agree government should step in. I view this not as a partisan issue but as an economic issue.

The objection is that this isn't about equal or better passenger rail service at a lower cost. If Amtrak isn't providing that, then as has been happening, they'll continue to lose commuter rail contracts. By trying to take away Amtrak's ability to bid for those contracts, the intent is to try to deprive Amtrak of any profits that it does make on those commuter services. Profits that can then be used to help balance Amtrak's budget and reduce Federal subsidies.

Amtrak is not guaranteed to win commuter rail projects, the Free Market prevails in this area. This is an attempt to regulate Amtrak out of that Free Market and reduce its income and make it weaker and more prone to being put out of business as this country's intercity train provider.

 

[Anderson]

Days like this I wish I wasn't on my CD committee...

 

[George Harris]

John Mica just won't give up will he? he's after amtrak like the Anti doping agency was after lance Armstrong.

It's not really about Mica himself. Mica has a prized position and he is expected to bash publicly owned union friendly mass transit like Amtrak every chance he gets. If he doesn't bash Amtrak then he won't be fulfilling his duties of representing the GOP as the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. It's really as simple as that. In addition, if he can manage to help build momentum toward the eventual defunding of Amtrak he would be making a lot of powerful people very happy. People who could reward him very handsomely for his work.

No, it is about Mica. I do not care what is "expected" of him and I've moved beyond giving too much of a pass to people because of expectations like that. Moreover, if he's doing this in expectation/hope of further reward, then it is about him not having the balls or integrity to at least not seek that reward.

I agree totally. It is about Mica. He has found something that gets his name before the public, and he will ride this horse until either it drops dead or he falls off it. Over the years there have been several Johnny one note politicians that seem to find one horse they understand and the pound on it regardless of how important or unimportant the issue is.

Who was the politician that said something to the effect, "I don't care what they say about me so long as they spell my name right." Why spell his name right? So when the uninformed voter sees it on a ballot he will recognize it. Very simple. If you do not know who is who or what and do not know or care about the issues, the normal tendency is to go for the name you recognize. Politicians understand that concept and truly believe it. Their tendency is to regard the voting populance as a bunch of uninformed mental incompetents so they tend to act accordingly. When you see some of the people that keep getting reeleceted that is not really that unreasonable opinion.

I think one of the most outstanding examples of a politician successfully playing name recognition was Lyndon Johnson. In 1964 his primary campaign slogan was, "REELECT PRESIDENT JOHNSON" Anybody with a two digit IQ could understand that one. Of course the biggest fallacy there was that he had NOT been elected to the office of president in the first place. He rode in on JFK's coattails, or more aptly JFK broght LBJ along because he thought Johnson could deliver Texas for him, and he did. If I were to ever go for a Kennedy assination conspiracy theory it would be for one with Johnson behind it.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I think one of the most outstanding examples of a politician successfully playing name recognition was Lyndon Johnson. In 1964 his primary campaign slogan was, "REELECT PRESIDENT JOHNSON" Anybody with a two digit IQ could understand that one. Of course the biggest fallacy there was that he had NOT been elected to the office of president in the first place. He rode in on JFK's coattails, or more aptly JFK broght LBJ along because he thought Johnson could deliver Texas for him, and he did. If I were to ever go for a Kennedy assination conspiracy theory it would be for one with Johnson behind it.

George, George! You're too smart a guy to attribute the Murder of a President to his sucessor! LBJ was lots of things, some Great and some Terrible, but a Murderer he wasn't! I agree with the rest of what you say in this Post, as well as most things you discuss since I respect your Experience and Knowledge as an Engineer! Amatuer Conspiracy Buff doesnt seem like your Calling! :help:

 

[Anderson]

I think one of the most outstanding examples of a politician successfully playing name recognition was Lyndon Johnson. In 1964 his primary campaign slogan was, "REELECT PRESIDENT JOHNSON" Anybody with a two digit IQ could understand that one. Of course the biggest fallacy there was that he had NOT been elected to the office of president in the first place. He rode in on JFK's coattails, or more aptly JFK broght LBJ along because he thought Johnson could deliver Texas for him, and he did. If I were to ever go for a Kennedy assination conspiracy theory it would be for one with Johnson behind it.

George, George! You're too smart a guy to attribute the Murder of a President to his sucessor! LBJ was lots of things, some Great and some Terrible, but a Murderer he wasn't! I agree with the rest of what you say in this Post, as well as most things you discuss since I respect your Experience and Knowledge as an Engineer! Amatuer Conspiracy Buff doesnt seem like your Calling! :help:

There's a big "if" in his statement...I take his meaning to be that he doesn't buy one, but if you put a gun to his head and forced him to pick a theory, he'd take an LBJ one.

 

[George Harris]

I think one of the most outstanding examples of a politician successfully playing name recognition was Lyndon Johnson. In 1964 his primary campaign slogan was, "REELECT PRESIDENT JOHNSON" Anybody with a two digit IQ could understand that one. Of course the biggest fallacy there was that he had NOT been elected to the office of president in the first place. He rode in on JFK's coattails, or more aptly JFK broght LBJ along because he thought Johnson could deliver Texas for him, and he did. If I were to ever go for a Kennedy assination conspiracy theory it would be for one with Johnson behind it.

George, George! You're too smart a guy to attribute the Murder of a President to his sucessor! LBJ was lots of things, some Great and some Terrible, but a Murderer he wasn't! I agree with the rest of what you say in this Post, as well as most things you discuss since I respect your Experience and Knowledge as an Engineer! Amatuer Conspiracy Buff doesnt seem like your Calling! :help:

There's a big "if" in his statement...I take his meaning to be that he doesn't buy one, but if you put a gun to his head and forced him to pick a theory, he'd take an LBJ one.

EXACTLY Most of the conspiricy theories I have heard make less sense than the Johnson one.

 

[Bob Dylan]

:hi: Thanks for the Clarification George, my bad! (And by the way, I personally believe that he was killed by Rouge Elements of the CIA/FBI/Mob/Anti-Castro Cubans who were working together to try an Assassinate Fidel Castro! I actually was working in Congress when they were investigating the Assinations from the 60s, that Theory seems most plausible to me! And as you say, there are lots of them out there!! h34r:

 

[afigg]

The expense account for the president of Amtrak and the upper level managers should cover the purchase of a insulated seat pad to use for the hot seat and ballistic body armor for protection from the potshots taken at them.

The objection is that this isn't about equal or better passenger rail service at a lower cost. If Amtrak isn't providing that, then as has been happening, they'll continue to lose commuter rail contracts. By trying to take away Amtrak's ability to bid for those contracts, the intent is to try to deprive Amtrak of any profits that it does make on those commuter services. Profits that can then be used to help balance Amtrak's budget and reduce Federal subsidies.

Amtrak is not guaranteed to win commuter rail projects, the Free Market prevails in this area. This is an attempt to regulate Amtrak out of that Free Market and reduce its income and make it weaker and more prone to being put out of business as this country's intercity train provider.

Agreed. If Amtrak wants to compete for commuter rail contracts, let them. If the goal is to push Amtrak to become a more efficient and competitive operation, would not competing for commuter rail contracts provide incentive to become more competitive?

With any luck, this line of attack will go away and be forgotten in Congress after the election.

 

[Anderson]

The expense account for the president of Amtrak and the upper level managers should cover the purchase of a insulated seat pad to use for the hot seat and ballistic body armor for protection from the potshots taken at them.

The objection is that this isn't about equal or better passenger rail service at a lower cost. If Amtrak isn't providing that, then as has been happening, they'll continue to lose commuter rail contracts. By trying to take away Amtrak's ability to bid for those contracts, the intent is to try to deprive Amtrak of any profits that it does make on those commuter services. Profits that can then be used to help balance Amtrak's budget and reduce Federal subsidies.

Amtrak is not guaranteed to win commuter rail projects, the Free Market prevails in this area. This is an attempt to regulate Amtrak out of that Free Market and reduce its income and make it weaker and more prone to being put out of business as this country's intercity train provider.

Agreed. If Amtrak wants to compete for commuter rail contracts, let them. If the goal is to push Amtrak to become a more efficient and competitive operation, would not competing for commuter rail contracts provide incentive to become more competitive?

With any luck, this line of attack will go away and be forgotten in Congress after the election.

The thought of someone coming to a Congressional hearing so attired amuses me. Anyhow...I agree with your point. If Amtrak continues winning contracts without major lobbying power, then there should really be no issue. I do hope that Boardman got some good shots back in.

 

[NW cannonball]

If private industry can supply equal or better passenger rail service at a lower cost what is the objection to having it? The objective should be to offer the best rail service while saving taxpayer money. If there are no private operators that can offer quality service at a better price then of course I agree government should step in. I view this not as a partisan issue but as an economic issue.

The objection is that this isn't about equal or better passenger rail service at a lower cost. If Amtrak isn't providing that, then as has been happening, they'll continue to lose commuter rail contracts. By trying to take away Amtrak's ability to bid for those contracts, the intent is to try to deprive Amtrak of any profits that it does make on those commuter services. Profits that can then be used to help balance Amtrak's budget and reduce Federal subsidies.

Amtrak is not guaranteed to win commuter rail projects, the Free Market prevails in this area. This is an attempt to regulate Amtrak out of that Free Market and reduce its income and make it weaker and more prone to being put out of business as this country's intercity train provider.

I totally agree that if public enterprise can do it better and cheaper - that's the way to go - if subcontracting or leaving the whole works to the free market does it better and cheaper - so much better.

And I know from personal experience and academic study that it is really easy to warp the accounting one way or the other. That's been debated again and again with a lot of personal and corporate biases thrown in.

The mantra of the "robber barons" is "externalize the costs" - meaning "let the govt and taxpayers fix it down the road we'll take the cash now"

The mantra of the socializers is "share the benefits" - meaning "let someone else fix it down the road -- we'll take the benefits now"

Neither way will work in the long run, but like JM Keynes said -- you know what he said. ITLRWAAD

In the medium term, got to work with what we've got - for me that's Amtrak and some states that have more - less -none - rail service.

Some places in this enormous diverse country - like South Dakota - say - there will be no rational support for passenger rail any time soon.

Some, like NEC - of course.

Some, like Florida, got some, want more, got some pol (as mentioned above) looking for -- whatever - probably not what most Floridians want -

In the long run - it will all work out - but ITLRWAAD

Read the history of rail in New York in the early days of rail -- "Vanderbilt and the Erie" for example. The history is full of classic "double fakes" like bribing the assembly to subsidize an obviously loser route to get the price down on the ROW for a better route, then bribing the lot of them to subsidize the better route. hboy:

Happened before happens again no way round it.

Just keep your eyes open and keep asking for what you want -- could happen.

Thanks to all here for being a reasonable and and demanding bunch, on the whole.

 

[CHamilton]

House GOP Wants Amtrak Out of the Commuter Rail Business

Florida Democrat Corrine Brown pointed out that Amtrak makes a profit of $15 million annually on its commuter rail service. Brown accused Republicans of orchestrating the hearing to punish Amtrak for suing Veolia Transportation, which nabbed a contract for commuter rail service in Florida after hiring away three Amtrak employees. A jury faulted Veolia for the hirings, but said Amtrak would not have kept the contract even if they had retained those employees.

The Republicans’ report concluded that Amtrak should be barred from suing private rail providers over contract disputes, calling the litigation anti-competitive and wasteful.

Another major conclusion of the report is that all states that pay for Amtrak services should consider awarding the contracts to Amtrak’s competitors. The report found that states could save $91 million annually by choosing private contractors. Currently, 19 states contract with Amtrak for this service, according to testimony.

Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Texas Democrat, called the report a “senseless attack,” following 11 consecutive monthly ridership records for the rail service. Johnson said Republicans have an “ideological obsession” to “destroy Amtrak,” pointing out that getting rid of Amtrak is part of the 2012 Republican Party platform.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

The GOP will stop at nothing to get rid of amtrak and it appears they will stop anyone who gets in their way of achieving that goal. The answer to the energy crisis is not to build more roads or 50 lane wide freeways in order to put more cars on the road to aid in congestion. Lines at airports are getting longer and more more silly TSA rules are being added daily. We need rail transport we need high speed rail too bad it will be a cold day in hell before we even get a new full route restored on amtrak.