Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Amtrak

What Would Meaningful Amtrak Reform Look Like?

By Tanya Snyder | Nov 29, 2012 | 25 Comments

For the past two years, Amtrak has been under constant attack from House Transportation Committee Chair John Mica (R-FL), who has used his gavel to bully the rail company. He likes to call it a “Soviet-style” monopoly and he goads it for losing money on everything from long-distance routes to food service. His vitriolic diatribes […]

As Highway and Air Travel Slump, Intercity Train Trips Increase

By Angie Schmitt | Nov 21, 2012 | 25 Comments

If your holiday plans happen to include taking the train to another city, you’re in good company. As has been widely reported, Amtrak has broken ridership records throughout the year. A total of 31.2 million passengers boarded Amtrak trains in the fiscal year that ended September 30; that’s an increase of 3.5 percent over the […]

What Kind of Leadership Would Bill Shuster Bring to the Transpo Committee?

By Tanya Snyder | Nov 14, 2012 | 6 Comments

This is the first of two posts examining Rep. Bill Shuster’s candidacy for the chairmanship of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. We’ll post the second one, focused on his positions on bike/ped programs and funding issues, tomorrow. Over the next few weeks, we could see a shake-up on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee […]

UPDATE: Reminder: Amtrak Subsidies Pale in Comparison to Highway Subsidies

By Tanya Snyder | Sep 21, 2012 | 38 Comments

UPDATED 9/24 with chart. House Transportation Committee Chair John Mica continued his “holy jihad” against Amtrak yesterday, holding the third full-committee hearing in a series on “Reviewing Amtrak’s Operations.” He’s planning at least three more hearings during the lame duck session after the election. Mica went after subsidies in this one, and he clearly thinks […]

House GOP Wants Amtrak Out of the Commuter Rail Business

By Angie Schmitt | Sep 13, 2012 | 3 Comments

At a highly politicized hearing on Tuesday, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair John Mica slammed “Amtrak’s failure to compete with the private sector,” arguing that the national rail company should stop bidding to run commuter rail services. The hearing centered around a new report from House Republicans [PDF] criticizing Amtrak for competing with private companies for commuter […]

Amtrak Chief Outlines “Aggressive” Plan for 2012 Investment

By Ben Goldman | Jan 11, 2012 | 3 Comments

Amtrak has spent the past year as a sort of punching bag for some members of Congress, not to mention the GOP presidential candidates. So it’s refreshing to hear that they’re coming out swinging, confidently, in 2012. President and CEO Joseph Boardman announced this morning that Amtrak would pursue an “aggressive” agenda for 2012, including […]

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