Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman testified before the House Appropriations Committee last week that with ridership growing more than 36% since 2000, the national passenger railroad company is on pace to break its annual ridership record of 28.7 million passengers, which was set last year. Ridership has not only increased on all three of Amtrak’s major business lines, including the Northeast Corridor, it has grown on most Amtrak train routes across the country, with strong gains in the Southeast, Midwest, and California.
Why are more people riding Amtrak this year compared to 2010? Chances are rising gasoline prices have something to do with it. According to the Associated Press, oil has jumped above $110 per barrel for the first time since September 2008 and U.S. drivers are paying an average of $3.73 per gallon at the pump, up more than 64 cents per gallon since January 2011. According to Amtrak, other factors contributing to increased ridership include “improved economic environment, increased appeal and popularity of rail travel, effective marketing campaigns and the added benefit of Wi-Fi on the Acela Express trains.”
Will Numbers Impress GOP?
It remains to be seen if such ridership numbers can impress House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Rep. John Mica (R-FL), who has not been shy about his disdain for Amtrak, calling it a “Soviet-style train system.” Mica believes federal funding for high-speed rail should focus on the Northeast Corridor. But he’s also said that Amtrak, whose Gateway Project would add needed rail capacity between New Jersey and New York City, will “never be capable of developing the corridor to its true high-speed potential. The task … can only be addressed with the help of private sector expertise.”
For his part, Boardman told lawmakers that he believes ridership will continue to increase, saying “Our only restriction will be the available capacity.” Amtrak is currently requesting $2.2 billion from Congress in fiscal year 2012, and recently applied for an additional $1.3 billion in high-speed rail grants from USDOT for improvements to the Northeast Corridor.
Frankly, when I visit my sister by train, I don’t care whether it’s on a “Soviet-style train system” or any other kind of train system. I’m just glad that there’s a train to take me where I need to go. Any reasonable person would understand that unless we invest in a national high-speed rail system we are falling behind the rest of the developed world.
Kathy Boris
[…] elevated gas prices, Amtrak President and CEO, Joe Boardman, reported a rousing 36 percent growth in Amtrak ridership since 2000. According to Boardman, 2011 is on pace to hold the company’s record for highest […]
Another effort to use negative labelling to cloud the issue. Certainly private sector involvement would be great. If there is such a great opportunity, what is holding them back? And point me to the flourishing private sector transportation example in the world, please!
Our Amtrak service in the NW runs over privately held freight rail lines, which are poortly maintained and limit speeds so that the service takes longer and is less reliable. And, let us not forget that Amtrak was formed because the private rail companies wanted to rid themselves of passenger service.
The reality is that no transportation survives without public support–airports and traffic control are public works, as are freeways and connector roads that support car travel and trucking. Bike lanes and hiking trails even get public funds. Trains are a more energy efficient and comfortable solution held back by vested interests and the lack of sufficient public interest. Now it seems that tide may be turning. I’m a weekly rider on our train and nearly every train is filled to near capacity, despite the troubles of our second class infrastructure.
It would be a good sign if the increased ridership decreased Amtrak’s loss. If increased ridership requires increased public funding, the business model is fatally flawed.
Clever, increased ridership is indeed decreasing Amtrak’s operating loss. Passenger transportation is profitable nowhere in no industry, it all requires government subsidy for capital at a minimum.
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Amtrak is the base line for an expanded and balanced transportation system for the U.S. There is no doubt that passenger services for all modes need subsidies. However, it is interesting to note that the expansion of intercity rail passenger service, including commuter/suburban and light rail services, add to the economic development of the areas served. Furthermore, rail service is the safest, and also the only all-weather transportation. There is no doubt about it, we need to expand our rail passenger services.