[il-talk] Fw: Getting Railroaded

[Bill Reif]

Hi Edwin,

Costs are so high at Amtrak that, compared with fair receipts, it loses 
money with every passenger it hauls, even on a full train. Adding, 
switching and cleaning cars to handle additional passengers increases 
costs. I am told that even the heavy traffic and high prices at the Cafe 
Car would leave it unable to operate without a subsidy. That's why 
Amtrak maintains little excess seating capacity and you often can't get 
a Friday or Sunday seat you haven't reserved in advance.

Cordially,
Bill


On 3/10/2013 3:46 PM, Edwin wrote:
> I thought I heard on NPR that ridership was up on Amtrak.  Is this true?  If
> ridership is up does this translate into more income?
>
>    _____
>
> From: il-talk [mailto:il-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bill Reif
> Sent: Sunday, March 10, 2013 3:29 PM
> To: NFB of Illinois Mailing List
> Subject: [il-talk] Fw: Getting Railroaded
>
>
> Hello,
>
> This editorial in Yesterday's Tribune speaks to an issue of great importance
> to the blind and to others who don't drive. Be assured that one train per
> day between Chicago and St Louis wouldn't be nearly sufficient. There's not
> room on the trains now. It would have been nice if the Tribune indicated how
> much federal money we're talking in Illinois, as it did for other states.
>
> Cordially,
> Bill
>
>
>
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: 	Article from Chicago Tribune Editorial 2013 03 09	
> Date: 	Sat, 9 Mar 2013 19:26:13 -0500 (EST)	
> From: 	NFB-NEWSLINE Online  <mailto:nfbnewsline at nfb.org>
> <nfbnewsline at nfb.org>	
> To: 	William B. Reif  <mailto:billreif at ameritech.net>
> <billreif at ameritech.net>	
>
>
> Getting railroaded \ Illinois will have to cough up more for train service.
> Beginning Oct. 1, the federal government no longer will subsidize Amtrak
> routes that run less than 750 miles. The annual cost, about $166 million as
> of fiscal 2012, will shift to 14 states, including Illinois, that are served
> by those routes. . This has some of the states scrambling. New York will
> spend $6 million this year on short-distance Amtrak routes. Gov. Andrew
> Cuomo wants $44 million more next year, largely to maintain service when the
> federal subsidy goes away. Michigan will spend $8 million this year and
> looks to kick in another $25 million when the federal cash flow stops. Some
> states may decide they don't want to pay up. Indiana doesn't provide any
> subsidy now and may allow Amtrak to reduce service between Indianapolis and
> Chicago rather than kick in money. Illinois, which is loaded with debt and
> can't pay its bills on time, nevertheless spends $26 million a year for
> Amtrak service. Gov. Pat Quinn has budgeted $12 million more to maintain
> service after Oct. 1, though state transit officials say they're in talks
> with Amtrak and expect the increase to be $5 million to $6 million. If
> Illinois doesn't come up with extra cash, service would be reduced. Amtrak
> trains no longer would stop in the downstate towns of Quincy and Macomb.
> Service from Chicago to Carbondale would be cut from three round trips a day
> to one. Chicago to St. Louis would go from five trains a day to one. Chicago
> to Milwaukee, which handles 838,000 riders a year, would go from as many as
> eight trains a day to one. Funny, nobody seems to mention this whenever
> Quinn and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood trumpet the ambitious plans
> for high-speed rail in Illinois. The feds are pouring money into the states
> to build the infrastructure for high-speed rail ... while the feds are
> quietly taking away Amtrak's short-line operating subsidies. Ahem. Illinois
> plans to expand high-speed rail significantly over the coming decade. The
> state has pledged $400 million for upgrades between Chicago and St. Louis,
> including $278 million to match federal grants. The 2008 federal stimulus
> legislation allocated $1.14 billion for Chicago to St. Louis, 70 to 75
> percent of which has not yet been spent. Not exactly shovel-ready, but you
> can bet that money will be spent eventually. The federal government and
> willing partner states such as Illinois are pouring money into building up
> Amtrak service, but feds are walking away from paying for operations. Given
> the state's dire finances, the passenger rail system here will be all
> dressed up with nowhere to go. The proponents of high-speed rail say: No
> sweat, after the expensive upgrades the system will be much more productive.
> Faster trains will be a big draw for passengers, which will produce new
> revenues. But Amtrak passenger revenues don't come close to covering the
> cost of the service and there's little prospect that they ever will. Who
> will be on the hook in Illinois? It won't be Uncle Sam. It will be Uncle
> Springfield.. ILLUSTRATION: Photo(s). Photo: The end of the line nears for
> federal subsidies of Amtrak routes of less than 750 miles. ANDREW
> HARRER/BLOOMBERG PHOTO. This article is provided to you as a courtesy of
> NFB-NEWSLINER Online
>
>
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