Passenger Trains > The Real Possible Solution

As an Amtrak employee I see a possible long term solution and realistic way out for Amtrak and yet keep National train service.

The Feds pass a bill dedicating 1 cent tax on motor fuel giving Amtrak a billion plus a year for National passenger rail service in conjunction with breakup and fire sale of Amtrak to freights.
Feds also wipe out all Amtrak debts with long term bonds.
If CSX and UP know they have a dedicated source of Federal funding locked in they could and would take Amtrak tracks and facilities piecemeal and run passengers again with no fear of feds or politicians pulling rug out from under them.
Congress could also attach minimum routes and standards to bill and States could throw in extra for the local services they desire.

I know this idea sounds Republican and I'm not but I have a feeling freights are waiting for a deal like this and of course under the Railway Labor Act of 1933 all Amtrak employees would have first shot at any jobs available under this transfer.

Didn't Conrail start out this way?

What do you think?

Do you really think the class 1's want back into passenger service? I really doubt it. NS and CSX are both reeling from reduced traffic and CSX is expanding their "if nothing has derailed on it don't fix it" maintenance program to cut costs. You-Pee and BNSF have serious maintenance problems that are not being addressed. None of the big roads have the staff or expertise to operate passenger services, even skelital ones, and I really doubt if their stockholders would appreciate investment in rail passenger equipment or motive power.

The US rail industry is suffering from poor planning, over-merging (and associated lack of competition), and being raped by Wall Street-conscious upper management that cannot see the future beyond their next bonus check.

These aren't operating people who run the big roads anymore.

NECJerry wrote:
>
> The Feds pass a bill dedicating 1 cent tax on motor fuel
> giving Amtrak a billion plus a year for National passenger rail
> service in conjunction with breakup and fire sale of Amtrak to
> freights.

Even a "Fire Sale" only works if someone wants the stuff - no one with a good business sense wants a skeleton "National" Passenger service.

> Didn't Conrail start out this way?
Nope, Conrail started as an emergency plan to maintain ESSEENTIAL freight service to tens of millions of people.

Amtrak's "National" service is about 40 trains (!,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,11,14,19,20,21,22,27,28,29,30,40,41,43,44,48,49,50,51,58,59,68,69,79,80,89.90.91.92.97.98,850,851) carrying about 200 people each. Most likely,the states will maintain he heaviest corridor services in some form.

NECJerry wrote:
> The Feds pass a bill dedicating 1 cent tax on motor fuel
> giving Amtrak a billion plus a year for National passenger rail
> service in conjunction with breakup and fire sale of Amtrak to
> freights.

Congress was unable to pass a 0.5 cent gas tax for dedicated Amtrak funding in the past, why would they authorize double that to entice freight railroads to enter a business they don't want?

Also, it's extremely unpopular to be raising the gas tax for any reason (and passenger rail isn't all that popular a reason), even if gas prices are starting to come down from their recent highs. People SAY they want better passenger rail service, but since most people will continue to drive everywhere they don't fly, they're generally not eager to pay for it at the gas pump.

Stupid idea. Sorry.

You have made me realize that freights even enticed with federal subsidies will not ever willingly run passengers again.
Just too much hassle and overhead. The question is now what do we do?

I still believe a dedicated source of revenue subsidies is needed for decent passenger services.
Damn near everything else in this country is subsidized like Farmers,Corporations,Airports,Highways,Military,Space Program etc...
Why is it that Amtrak has to show a profit?
Just doesn't make any sense!

NECJerry wrote:
>
> I still believe a dedicated source of revenue subsidies is
> needed for decent passenger services.
> Damn near everything else in this country is subsidized like
> Farmers,Corporations,Airports,Highways,Military,Space Program
> etc...
> Why is it that Amtrak has to show a profit?
> Just doesn't make any sense!

That's a good point Jerry, seems those jerks up there in DC still can't figure it out after 30 freakin' years!

3 of the 4 major class 1s do run commute operations. UP and BNSF run large commute operations in the Chicago area. BNSF also runs the Sounder in the Seattle area. Also CSX runs MARC in the DC area.

AND LOOK at what the UP did to the 3 lines the got from the cnw.
delay delay delay
All the Railroads were hevaly subsadised "LAND Grants" Free land.
They now owe the Gov "us- we the people" to run passenger trains
as a public service. AMTK was there way of getting out from under that burden. Kill AMTK .. well the mandate that the UP run passenger
trains.

JKD

A couple of issues here. For one, unless Metras own stats are false, the on time percentage of the 3 UP lines is over 90%. UP did screw up when they first took over C&NW, but has since imrpoved back tp pre take over levels.

As for railroads oweing the "people" because of land grants, first you have to realise that many lines were non land grant lines. Also you have to realise that the railroads did pay the US gov back, many times over in fact for hauling US govrenmnet freight at reduced rates, hauling troops and supplies during the two world wars.

O yes I realize that the MILW built to the pacific on there own
and look what it did them. And no I do not beleve that the war trafic
was Free like the land given to them was.

Railroads as any company or american has responsabilty to the sosiaty
they live and work in. Many people and corps no longer beleve this
an the USA is a sader and scarier place for it People and kids did not go postal when i was young.
JKD OUT