Amtrak: America’s Railroad

Amtrak Government Affairs

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The Amtrak System

•  Amtrak operates America’s national intercity passenger rail system: –  305 weekday trains –  21,200 route-miles –  46 States, 3 Canadian provinces, and Washington,

DC •  FY2014, system ticket revenue record, several

individual services set ridership records •  Amtrak recovers 93% of its operating costs •  This is a very busy and exciting time •  Major challenges:

–  Funding –  Reauthorization (last reauth in 2008, new one in

works)

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Types of Amtrak services

•  Northeast Corridor –  457 miles –  Washington-New York-Boston –  11.6 million riders in FY 2014

•  Long Distance services –  15 routes –  Up to 2,438 miles –  4.5 million riders in FY 2014

•  State-supported trains –  29 routes –  19 partner states –  Up to 750 miles –  14.7 million riders in FY 2014

Northeast Corridor

Long Distance

State- supported

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Today’s Amtrak System

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Today’s Amtrak system – minus long distance trains

Half of the states and communities we serve would lose all service – and the rest would lose a lot of travel choices

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Long distance trains provide a vital public service

•  A public service: –  41% of passenger-miles –  15% of ridership, but 23% of

ticket revenues –  42% of identified passengers

with disabilities who use Amtrak –  Only Amtrak service at

•  Half our stations •  Half the states we serve •  70% of our route-miles

•  Serve about 40% of America’s rural population

•  More than half of adult passengers are age 55 or older

•  In many places, only remaining scheduled intercity transportation (bus services served 11% fewer Americans in 2011 than 2005)

Intercity Bus Coverage

State Name

% of rural residents served,

2005

% of rural residents served,

2010

Change (%)

Alabama 92.4% 60.9% -34%

Georgia 92.4% 66.1% -28%

Kansas 71.8% 52.6% -26.7%

Kentucky 70.7% 50.2% -28.9%

Louisiana 91.2% 72.7% -20.3%

Mississippi 93.8% 62.8% -33%

Missouri 80.4% 69.6% -13%

Nevada 85.3% 66.1% -22.5%

New Mexico 84.3% 61.0% -27.6%

North Carolina 95.0% 72.9% -23.3%

North Dakota 50.7% 35.2% -30.1%

Virginia 89.2% 68.0% -23.8%

West Virginia 75.7% 46.2% -38.9%

Source: USDOT

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Ten annual ridership records in twelve years

15,000,000

17,000,000

19,000,000

21,000,000

23,000,000

25,000,000

27,000,000

29,000,000

31,000,000

33,000,000

Tota

l Rid

ersh

ip

Fiscal Year

Amtrak Total Ridership, 1972-2014

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Ridership and Revenues are up

•  FY 2014 system ridership totaled 30.9M

•  Record ticket revenues of more than $2.1B

•  Northeast Corridor had a record year

49% growth since 1998

Almost 12% growth since 1998 89.8% growth since1998

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NEC Air-Rail Market Shares

37%45%

56%

50%50%

51%55%

56%63%

61%69%

75%76%

76%78%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%

Air-

Rail

Mar

ket S

hare

Fiscal Year

Washington to New York Air-Rail Market

Air

Rail

20%27%

41%

35%

39%

38%36%

41%49%

50%53%

54%54%

54%59%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%

Air-

Rail

Mar

ket S

hare

Fiscal Year

New York to Boston Air-Rail Market

Air

Rail

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Federal subsidies are down

In real terms, value of 2014 operating grant was less than half of 2004

$300.00

$400.00

$500.00

$600.00

$700.00

$800.00

$900.00

$1,000.00

Mill

ions

of 2

014

dolla

rs

Fiscal Year

Amtrak Operating Funding Level, 2004-Present

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$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

$3,000

$3,500

$4,000

$4,500

In m

illio

ns o

f dol

lars

Year

Debt is down Amtrak Corporate Debt

Total indebtedness is less than half of the 2002 level

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Amtrak has the highest “farebox recovery” of any American railroad

Sources: NTD, Amtrak

Ancillary revenues raised Amtrak’s total cost recovery to 89% in 2013

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Problems with OTP are a serious challenge

0.0%  

10.0%  

20.0%  

30.0%  

40.0%  

50.0%  

60.0%  

70.0%  

80.0%  

90.0%  

Long  Distance  Train  Av

erage  OTP

 

Month  

Long  Distance  On-­‐Time  Performance  by  month,  FY12-­‐14  

FY  2012  

FY  2013  

FY  2014  

FY  2015  

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Court case and OTP issue

•  SCOTUS ruled against the AAR 9-0 that Amtrak is government entity

•  Returned the issue of the rule to lower court for further review of the rulemaking process

•  Amtrak has established Blue Ribbon to review Chicago Gateway congestion issues and recommend a course of action

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HR 5449 Passenger Rail Reauthorization Bill

•  Recognizes need to support the national system

•  Bipartisan effort •  Senate has yet to take action, but will •  Investment levels are not sufficient to fund

the full range of identified needs