WASHINGTON - Amtrak president and CEO George Warrington explained to members of the National Press Club on May 24 that the nation's passenger railroad was being forced to live a double life. "It's the tale of two Amtraks" he called it: one life as a strictly market-driven and for profit business, the other as a public service. Unfortunately both have been mandated by Congress.
During the luncheon gathering Warrington, who was introduced by NPC vice president John Aubuchon, alluded to Congress' reluctance to fund Amtrak the way other industrialized nations do their own rail systems. We lag far behind France, Germany, Sweden, Spain and Japan, he reminded his press corps audience.
"We need to more clearly define Amtrak's mission." Warrington insisted citing statistics showing a steady increase in ridership over the past four years. Such "mission conflict" stems from Amtrak's public service mandate under the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1971, and a much more recent Congressional mandate to be entirely self-sufficient financially by the year 2003, or be phased out.
"We will meet that 2003 federal mandate." Warrington assured noting the $100 billion "chokehold" on the U.S. transportation system from deteriorating infrastructure, a lack of inter-modal planning, increasing highway and airport congestion.
With inter-city passenger rail representing less that one percent of the federal transportation budget, over $850 million is being invested annually by local government into commuter rail some of which is operated by Amtrak. Thirty-eight states now have high-speed rail planning underway, a definite wave of the future.
But infrastructure upgrading is essential to accommodate this, Warrington went on to say noting that even along Amtrak's North East Corridor, "the crown jewel of the system," there were trains capable of 150 mph being slowed to 25 mph to make it through Civil War vintage tunnels.
"Rails are our most under-utilized transportation network in America...but we need all modes in order to create a seamless system." he continued. "Investing in rail will benefit all modes." Amtrak travels over 22,000 miles of track nationwide, most of it, except for the North East Corridor between Washington and Boston, owned by tax-paying private freight railroads. It employs 25,000. Since there is no dedicated or steady source of funding for rail as there is for highways, maritime and the airlines, Amtrak must go begging to Congress each fiscal year for operating subsidies. Taking in all factors the other modes are more heavily subsidized.
During the Q & A session Warrington was asked how his railroad's new high-speed Acela was doing? Four round trips per day between Boston/Washington, 20 by year's end.
Or US DOT Secretary Norm Mineta recent analysis that "Amtrak's books don't look good" and the changing political climate in Washington.
What can inter-city rail offer the traveler that highways and the airlines cannot? Downtown to down service, avoidance of highway congestion, more civil treatment, bad weather dependability. If Amtrak is measured against each individual airline it comes up the ninth largest carrier in the U.S. And of all those who travel within the North East Corridor, Amtrak carries 70%. Some day the NEC could become an Atlantic Corridor stretching from Maine to Florida.
Following a final question Warrington urged that the U.S. not follow Great Britain's example of separating infrastructure ownership from operations as a way to lower costs. "I think you're playing with fire!" he said.
