Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Amtrak

Feds Lay Out Wide-Ranging Visions for the Future of the NE Corridor

By Angie Schmitt | Apr 5, 2013 | 2 Comments

A report released this week by the Federal Railroad Administration outlines 15 possible ways forward for the Northeast Corridor, ranging from building fully separate tracks to accommodate 220 mph bullet trains to simply maintaining the existing infrastructure in a state of good repair. The “preliminary alternatives” were laid out in a report called “NEC Future,” […]

While Amtrak Subsidies Draw Fire From Congress, Aviation Gets a Free Pass

By Angie Schmitt | Mar 12, 2013 | 55 Comments

There’s never any shortage of calls to make Amtrak pay for itself. Republicans deride it as a “Soviet-style monopoly,” rife with inefficiencies. But as Ed Glaeser pointed out in an article for the Boston Globe last week, another mode’s subsidies are approved year after year without a peep: aviation. According to Glaeser, fees imposed on airline […]

Political Piñata Amtrak Is the Fastest Growing Transportation Mode

By Angie Schmitt | Mar 1, 2013 | 35 Comments

Let it be known: Amtrak is the fastest! Fastest-growing, that is. Since 1997, Amtrak ridership has grown 55 percent — faster than the general population, faster then GDP, faster than air travel, faster than driving, faster than any other mode of transportation. Even in a difficult political environment, more people are choosing Amtrak, according to […]

Mica Won’t Let His Grudge Against Amtrak Die, Revives Privatization Scheme

By Tanya Snyder | Feb 13, 2013 | 6 Comments

Rep. John Mica (R-FL) no longer chairs the House Transportation Committee, but that doesn’t mean he’s eased up on his crusade against Amtrak. Calling the company a “Soviet style monopoly,” Mica used his afternoon address to the U.S. High Speed Rail Association to announce his plan to revive his despised and defeated measure to privatize […]

Drivers Cover Just 51 Percent of U.S. Road Spending

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 23, 2013 | 88 Comments

There’s a persistent misconception in American culture that transit is a big drain on public coffers while roads conveniently and totally pay for themselves through the magic of gas taxes. And that used to be true — at least for interstate highways, a fraction of the total road network. But that was many, many failed […]

Mica’s New Post Gives Him a Good Vantage Point For Sniping at Amtrak

By Tanya Snyder | Jan 3, 2013 | 6 Comments

Perhaps Rep. John Mica’s most remarkable legacy as chair of the House Transportation Committee is the single-minded focus he gave to attacking Amtrak. Under the guise of wanting it to succeed, Mica has repeatedly excoriated it as a “Soviet-style monopoly” and a waste of taxpayer dollars. He’s tried to sell off its only profitable line, […]

Show More Stories