Amtrak has begun cutting costs in response to pressure from the Trump administration.
According to an article by Dan Zukowski of Smart Cities Dive, the agency carried 15% more customers than last year in 2023, and its new St. Paul-to-Chicago line exceeded ridership forecasts. Amtrak is currently reorganizing its priorities. The CEO resigned in March and announced that Amtrak would cut jobs by about 10%.
In April, USDOT withdrew federal support for the Texas Central High Speed Rail Project, saying, “Amtrak spokesman confirmed to Smart Cities Dive that the railroad is no longer pursuing a new high speed rail project.”
Sean Jeans Gale, vice president of policy and government affairs at the Railroad Passenger Association, said the flat funding, which is now directed towards the national network, is a pleasant surprise in light of the deeper cuts that have been feared. “Jeansgale said there is a consensus being formed over several new policy ideas, including railroad cars, train sets, national equipment pools that buy and lease locomotives, and locomotives to Amtrak, states and other passenger railroads.
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