Passenger Trains > AP: US budget includes $50M for Amtrak SWChief

https://www.abqjournal.com/1281590/lawmakers-us-budget-measure-includes-50m-for-amtrak-route.html
 
"BY ASSOCIATED PRESS  Saturday, February 16th, 2019 at 2:40pm
SANTA FE, N.M. — Lawmakers say a federal budget compromise approved by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump provides $50 million of additional federal funding to maintain Amtrak rail passenger service through New Mexico, Colorado and Kansas....."
 

The bill also restores station agents where removed in the last year and discounts for military.

RevRandy Wrote:
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> The bill also restores station agents where
> removed in the last year and discounts for
> military.

Hurrah!

Now they just need to declare an emergency and install a new board and management. Anything’s possible now post 2020 (only half joking).

This is really good news and what we've been expecting:
Now, let's develop a stub train that provides a daily service for central California to/from Barstow, CA that connects with Amtrak 3 and 4!

Flyer92122 Wrote:
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> Now they just need to declare an emergency and
> install a new board and management. Anything’s
> possible now post 2020 (only half joking).

Great idea!  If the dining service on the Lake Shore isn’t a national emergency, I don’t know what is!😀

Dave

I hope it's clear - This was a bi-patrician action by Congress to directly over-rule at least 2 negative actions taken by Richard Anderson.

Apparently, Congress finally realized Anderson is doing some harmful things to Amtrak, and has taken action to stop him (& backing it up with money).

NYC4096 Wrote:
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> This is really good news and what we've been
> expecting:
> Now, let's develop a stub train that provides a
> daily service for central California to/from
> Barstow, CA that connects with Amtrak 3 and 4!

LOL. They will need an additional appropriation of a billion dollars to satisify UP's need to double and triple track Tehachapi in order to operate a daily passenger train. 

maybe they can build a tunnel for that, doesn't the Boring company know how?

This is great news

Posted from Android

FYI...the station staffing clause does not necessarily mean that ticket agents (i.e. Amtrak employees who sell tickets on site at the station) will be returned. The term 'Station Agent' is defined as either ticket agent and/or station caretaker.

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/19 09:55 by mbutte.

ronald321 Wrote:
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> I hope it's clear - This was a bi-patrician action
> by Congress to directly over-rule at least 2
> negative actions taken by Richard Anderson.
>
> Apparently, Congress finally realized Anderson is
> doing some harmful things to Amtrak, and has taken
> action to stop him (& backing it up with money).

Did it ever dawn on anyone that Anderson is crazy like a fox and just received an additional $50M in funding that Amtrak would never have received had it not been for his threat of discontinuing service? He is a shrewd businessman, you don’t run services unless someone is willing to pay for them, either the passengers or the public.

Good job if you ask me, we have the SWC and an increased subsidy.

You love the guy, is there something we should know?   xoxo  :o)

another_view Wrote:
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> Did it ever dawn on anyone that Anderson is crazy
> like a fox and just received an additional $50M in
> funding that Amtrak would never have received had
> it not been for his threat of discontinuing
> service? He is a shrewd businessman, you don’t
> run services unless someone is willing to pay for
> them, either the passengers or the public.
>
> Good job if you ask me, we have the SWC and an
> increased subsidy.

Thank you Richard for your shameless, self-aggrandizing distortions. It's almost as if there's someone else who shares your penchant for self-flattery...I just can't place my finger on it.

another_view Wrote:

> Did it ever dawn on anyone that Anderson is crazy
> like a fox and just received an additional $50M in
> funding that Amtrak would never have received had
> it not been for his threat of discontinuing
> service? He is a shrewd businessman, you don’t
> run services unless someone is willing to pay for
> them, either the passengers or the public.
>
> Good job if you ask me, we have the SWC and an
> increased subsidy.

Amtrak has committed through Sep 30, 2019. All bets are off after that. The $50 million is not for the train's regular annual operating subsidy, but for paying for maintenance and safety improvements on the Southwest Chief route. They still will not release $3 million, which in turn releases a TIGER grant of $16 million of capital improvemts in a certain county. That is NOT a good sign. 

another_view

I will give you credit for a great spin job above.

Thinking that Anderson did a "good job" in conning Congress into granting  him extra money just for the SWC--is really great spin.

To believe such a thing would require total blindness to the awful downgrading he has done to certain trains (box  lunch; storing diners; removing lounge cars; tried to drop student discounts; while offering discounts in peek season, and on and on)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/19 12:08 by ronald321.

Money doesn't just appear in an appropriations bill. It shows up because somebody got a bunch of people to put it there.

That is the interesting back story. Sometimes it's as simple as a dollar for your train if you give me a dollar for your dam, highway etc.

Posted from Android

> Amtrak has committed through Sep 30, 2019. All bets are off after that. The $50 million is not for the train's regular annual operating subsidy, but for paying for maintenance and           > safety improvements on the Southwest  Chief route. They still will not release $3 million, which in turn > releases a TIGER grant of $16 million of capital improvemts in a certain >county. That is NOT a good sign. 


 joemvcnj - I wanted to question you on this. If Amtrak tries to play games after what has just happened, how do you think the KS-CO-NM senators and reps would respond? I'm internally trying to process what they might do or respond with and tend to think they wouldn't take this "sitting down".  What are your thoughts?

PRSL-recall Wrote:
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>  joemvcnj - I wanted to question you on this. If
> Amtrak tries to play games after what has just
> happened, how do you think the KS-CO-NM senators
> and reps would respond? I'm internally trying to
> process what they might do or respond with and
> tend to think they wouldn't take this "sitting
> down".  What are your thoughts?

With Amtrak, you are dealing with 9 year old brats, and they would be treated as such. My guess is these Senators would respond harder, and get others who have also been insulted over the past year to gang up and take funds from where it would anger them the most: the beloved NEC.  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/19 12:59 by joemvcnj.

That is music to my ears.