Posted on 07/12/2024 7:46:37 AM PDT by george76
Amtrak, the national passenger railroad company of the U.S., continues to have routine breakdowns despite receiving massive injections of taxpayer dollars from the Biden administration, according to data from the Department of Transportation (DOT).
Since 2021, there have been 333 Amtrak train incidents reported nationwide as of July 9, 2024, slightly less than the 397 incidents that occurred between 2016 and July 2020 during former President Trump’s tenure, according to the DOT. The Biden administration, as a part of an announced $66 billion for passenger rail in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, has dedicated huge amounts of taxpayer cash to Amtrak, including $4 billion being given to the rail company near the end of 2022, according to the White House.
Of the incidents under Biden, 66 of the 333 were derailments, 84 were obstructions, five were fires or “violent ruptures,” 115 involved rail crossings over roads and 54 were described as “other,” according to the data. In total, $4 million in equipment damage has been incurred since 2021
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The most recent Amtrak disruption was on Saturday after a faulty circuit breaker caused a power outage that disrupted service on the busy New York and Boston lines, with officials blaming a lightning strike for the outage, according to CBS. The outage was announced in the afternoon and lasted until 9:50 p.m. when Amtrak completed its repairs and offered to waive other charges to customers changing reservations.
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Since the creation of Amtrak in 1971, it has failed to turn a profit and is predicted to continue losing $1 billion a year for the foreseeable future.
The Biden administration has championed passenger rail as “more convenient and climate-friendly than either driving or flying,” according to the White House. The White House has pushed for 25 new passenger rail projects on the Northeast corridor to bring Biden “closer to his vision for world-class passenger rail.”
“Bidenomics and President Biden’s Investing in America agenda are tackling long-standing infrastructure needs, supporting communities nationwide, and making it possible to get people and goods where they need to be safely, quickly, and conveniently,” the White House said in November 2023. “The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes the largest investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak, with a $66 billion total investment in rail.”
The Biden administration also announced in December that it was granting $3.07 billion to the California High-Speed Rail Authority despite the project failing to make meaningful progress since funding was first approved by California voters in 2008.
I saw a red “deroaded” pickup truck just yesterday.
Whoo-Hoo!! I’m on my way with my new word!
Maybe it will become as popular as other new meanings to “lean” and “print.”
De truck went off deroad.
I will be using it.
Amtrak has only the NorthEast Corridor (NEC, Washington-Boston) under its total control. The rest of its trains run on tracks owned and maintained by the freight railroads and delays commonly occur due to freight congestion and breakdowns.
That being said, Amtrak government-appointed senior management is mostly incompetent and looks after their own personal financial incentives from cutting costs. That leads to engine failures from lack of proper maintenance, cars being dirty and unwashed, HVAC not working, etc. If Amtrak management worked for the public instead of just themselves many of the non-freight related problems would be rectified. There is a public demand for this service but many first time riders who experience delays, poorly kept cars and breakdowns out of the gate (especially in Chicago) say never again to riding the failing passenger service.
Have people still not figured out yet that government agencies, industries, etc. whatever you want to call them ... Amtrak, government schools, etc. ... get more money PRECISELY BECAUSE they break down?
The worse they perform the more money they get to "do better".
“Amtrak Trains Keep Breaking Down Despite Massive Injection Of Taxpayer Cash
Just another Government success story.
Just let Brightline run it.
Truly a railroad to nowhere. There is an alternative, Brightline which is privately funded with higher to high speed trains. Their new service from Orlando airport to Miami using new clean modern trainsets is fast and avoids I-95 congestion and serves communities north of Miami with more stations coming due to demand. They are now building a completely new Las Vegas to LA railroad that they promise will be open in time for the LA olympics in 2028.
As I am sixty-six I have seen the inside Amtrak issues. My dad was a conductor (35 years) He has since passed on. I always wonder why we (Here in the USA) do not have modern railroads like Europe and Japan. Additionally, modern airports and highways (think Autobahn) like Germany?
The answer is hundreds of billions of our tax dollars are going to other countries and deep pocket elites. We still have outdated trains that max out at 95 mph and stations that were built in early 60’s. Think Chicago. For the most, I was a Commercial RE Professor, our city infrastructure is all OUTDATED.
Consider most underground pipelines for water were made from lead and now fluoride is being injected in our water. Makes one think someone does not like us.
More and more taxes taken in but nothing changes. Think about that.
That is because they employ government employees who are unionized. They are stupid and rarely “work”. What a pathetic “jobs” program for losers.
Don’t forget public school teacher’s unions - more money for less student progress, teaching today’s indoctrination topics (CRT, DEI) instead of basics including US history and civics.
The one from Charleston SC to Florida needs to be permanently derailed. It is an irremediably disaster. We felt like we were suddenly in the wrong neighborhood (like Clark Griswold and family lost in St. Louis).
Unfortunately Dagny Taggart has gone to ‘The Gulch’.
On the Northeast Corridor, I prefer the train. I’ve had too many delays around the 287 / NJ Turnpike area.
Given the choice, I’d take the Auto Train to Florida.
Northeast Corridor is the only place that trains sort of work, the rest of the nation not so much.
As long as its not the NE corridor, Deep State don’t care.
The Auto Train works, but it’s a unique (to itself) operation for Amtrak. The current Auto Train uses the same facilities The Auto-Train corporation used back in the 70s.
Portions of the corridor are owned by The State of Connecticut & Metro North. Not sure if New Jersey owns any of the corridor.
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