Amtrak at 30 - On Track - Brief Article - Editorial

Railway Track and Structures, June, 2001 by Tom Judge

As I write this column, the newspapers are full of articles and features about the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, aka Amtrak, marking its 30th anniversary. That will be old news by the time you read this, but I think the points I want to make should be as valid then as they are when I'm writing them.

I started at C&NW on Monday, April 26, 1971, and Amtrak ran its first train on the following Friday, May 1. That was quite an initiation into the railroad industry. An entire era of private rail passenger service was ending and a strange new one was getting under way. Exactly how would this system work and what would it do? In those days, no one really knew. Unfortunately, it seems that no one really knows today, either.

Congress is saying several conflicting things at once. Senators and Representatives talk a lot about wasting taxpayers' money, then turn around and demand passenger train service for their constituencies.

Deals cut for union members three decades ago are still costing big bucks. Before I start getting nasty letters from rail labor, let me say I know there are hardworking people at Amtrak. That doesn't mean that the deals aren't a big factor in preventing Amtrak from turning a profit.

The management side deserves a few licks too. Amtrak has been blessed with some great leaders from the top down. The late Graham Claytor excelled at everything from rallying support on Capitol Hill to making sure all the toilets worked on any train he happened to ride. There have also been, and still are, those at various levels whose jobs relate more to who they know than what they know about running a passenger railroad.

But the best managers in the world can't manage if they don't know what the heck they're supposed to do. Are they trying to serve as many people as possible? Are they trying to serve as many communities as possible? Are they a social service program providing lots of jobs? Are they another government bureau to make elected officials look good? Are they supposed to bring high-speed rail to this country? Should they provide service over thousands of miles? Should they be dragging along cars full of mail and express? Should they run at 25 mph over poor track just to have the service in place?

If you asked any representative group in the country these questions, you'd get a wide variety of answers.

Here are my answers.

This country needs a solid passenger train system. The benefits have been proven all over the world, and the lack of such a system here brings gridlock on our roads and winglock at our airports. And we need a system that works effectively, offering a choice to travelers. That means big bucks, the kind the highway people have taken for granted for decades. It would be a lot cheaper to build and operate high-speed rail in the Midwest, for example, then to build a third airport at Chicago or another string of interstates.

First we need a statement of Amtrak's mission, then a doable operations plan to achieve that mission. Then, and only then, do we bring in the money.

And, most important, we need a system of accountability. Managers and contract employees alike have to be held responsible for getting the jobs done right.

If money is doled out in dribs and drabs with no mission and no accountability, Amtrak will be a giant moving sculpture exhibit instead of a vital part of the nation's transportation system.

Tom Judge, Editor