The National Passenger Rail Corporation (Amtrak) will continue to operate in 2003, but may need to reduce service levels to accommodate rising operating costs, said Dan Stessell, a spokesman for the railroad.
On Jan. 18, the U.S. Senate ended a nine-month standoff over funding between the railroad and the federal government, passing an amendment to grant $1.2 billion in subsidies for Fiscal Year 2003, the minimum amount requested by Amtrak to maintain the current level of operations.
The railroad had previously asked for $1.8 billion to sustain comfortable operations and expansion throughout this year, according to Stessell.
‘Amtrak is committed to maintaining our country’s rail passenger system as a safe and secure mode of public transportation,’ he said. ‘We can continue our current level of operations with just $1.2 billion, but that doesn’t allow for unexpected expenses that can come from accidents and maintenance. This also poses a real challenge with the need for increased security in the current world situation.’
On Feb. 7, the nation’s terrorist threat condition level was raised from yellow to orange. The railroad responded with an increase in police patrols on trains and passenger screening prior to boarding. Stessell said the tight budget has not affected the current status of security for Amtrak, but a terrorist attack or a sustained period of high risk would compound expenses far beyond the budgeted amount.
‘Amtrak is operating at a high state of alert and maintaining a high level of security,’ Stessell said. ‘In the interest of passenger safety and security, we are asking passengers to please report suspicious behavior or unattended baggage to Amtrak personnel or to the Amtrak Police Department.’
In its 32 years of existence, Amtrak has faced continuous criticism for inefficient operations and low ridership. The railroad has yet to turn a profit and is mired in debt, according to Stessell.
‘The country has been staying home in the post-Sept. 11th world,’ Stessell said. ‘We initially saw an increase in ridership, as flyers moved to the rails, but the war on Iraq has resulted in decreased numbers.’
About 23.5 million people travel the carrier each year, with losses in excess of $1 billion last year. The railroad’s only region of profit, the heavily traveled Boston-Washington corridor, made $51.3 million last year. Stessell said Amtrak would be requesting $2.2 billion in federal subsidies for Fiscal Year 2004.
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
