I'd dispute Joe Biden being "the most pro Amtrak president". He may have given them money but he also doubled down on supporting unions and buy America rules, two of the biggest obstacles to Amtrak functioning like a normal train system.
I also don't see why job cuts should reduce service - Amtrak is ridiculously overstaffed and could very easily make cuts (e.g. there's a dozen people telling people to line up at the station, and a bunch of on-train staff and conductors, most of which could be replaced by a faregate and maybe a single police officer). But that said, it does make sense to cut some of the unused routes (or raise prices on them) to improve service on the northeast corridor.
So who is the most pro-Amtrak U.S. president, then? Every Republican president sought to kill or significantly downsize Amtrak. Of the Democrats, Jimmy Carter presided over the biggest Amtrak cuts in history--the 1979 "Great Train Robbery." Bill Clinton tried to placate Republicans by eliminating the Pioneer and Desert Wind. That leaves Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Obama managed to provide some capital assistance to Amtrak in his first two years in office, when Democrats held both Houses of Congress, but managed just a holding action between 2011 and 2016. Only Biden pushed through two major infrastructure bills providing Amtrak with the funds to expand and improve service nationwide. As for Amtrak being "ridiculously overstaffed," the age of featherbedding has been over for a long time. There's one person staffing the lounge car. Coach attendants are responsible for two to three cars. The dining car staff is a lot smaller than it was 20 years ago. Most stations are unstaffed. And I'm afraid "Buy American" is the only way to get something through Congress.
Biden didn't just go through congress though, he pushed through a lot of executive actions for it. And you might say most stations are understaffed but every time I get on a train there's like ten people whose job it is to tell people to stand in line instead of just letting people walk onto the platform. The data on train crew sizes also show this - typical total crew size for Amtrak trains is fifteen people of more, compared to 3-6 for European intercity trains.
I will agree though that there's been no real pro-Amtrak presidents (although Clinton eliminating mandates for serving pointless lines is pro-Amtrak - Amtrak being forced to run rural lines that make no sense is a drag on it). I'd call a president pro-Amtrak if he actually cared on making it work for passengers, which no president really has.
Airlines and bus lines are great analogy. However, almost of all of our airlines and bus routes receive public subsidies, especially to continue operations for less profitable routing. I think a hybrid approach would unlock lots of the private sector efficiencies while still providing service to all corners of the nation. Train service could work the same way. There could be performance and safety measures to provide heightened levels of service that Amtrak is not able to meet. This is how the Japanese network works and is one of the most highly regarded in the world.
I'd dispute Joe Biden being "the most pro Amtrak president". He may have given them money but he also doubled down on supporting unions and buy America rules, two of the biggest obstacles to Amtrak functioning like a normal train system.
I also don't see why job cuts should reduce service - Amtrak is ridiculously overstaffed and could very easily make cuts (e.g. there's a dozen people telling people to line up at the station, and a bunch of on-train staff and conductors, most of which could be replaced by a faregate and maybe a single police officer). But that said, it does make sense to cut some of the unused routes (or raise prices on them) to improve service on the northeast corridor.
So who is the most pro-Amtrak U.S. president, then? Every Republican president sought to kill or significantly downsize Amtrak. Of the Democrats, Jimmy Carter presided over the biggest Amtrak cuts in history--the 1979 "Great Train Robbery." Bill Clinton tried to placate Republicans by eliminating the Pioneer and Desert Wind. That leaves Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Obama managed to provide some capital assistance to Amtrak in his first two years in office, when Democrats held both Houses of Congress, but managed just a holding action between 2011 and 2016. Only Biden pushed through two major infrastructure bills providing Amtrak with the funds to expand and improve service nationwide. As for Amtrak being "ridiculously overstaffed," the age of featherbedding has been over for a long time. There's one person staffing the lounge car. Coach attendants are responsible for two to three cars. The dining car staff is a lot smaller than it was 20 years ago. Most stations are unstaffed. And I'm afraid "Buy American" is the only way to get something through Congress.
Biden didn't just go through congress though, he pushed through a lot of executive actions for it. And you might say most stations are understaffed but every time I get on a train there's like ten people whose job it is to tell people to stand in line instead of just letting people walk onto the platform. The data on train crew sizes also show this - typical total crew size for Amtrak trains is fifteen people of more, compared to 3-6 for European intercity trains.
I will agree though that there's been no real pro-Amtrak presidents (although Clinton eliminating mandates for serving pointless lines is pro-Amtrak - Amtrak being forced to run rural lines that make no sense is a drag on it). I'd call a president pro-Amtrak if he actually cared on making it work for passengers, which no president really has.
Nice! Keep up the excellent work! And, congrats!
Great piece, Ellis.
Airlines and bus lines are great analogy. However, almost of all of our airlines and bus routes receive public subsidies, especially to continue operations for less profitable routing. I think a hybrid approach would unlock lots of the private sector efficiencies while still providing service to all corners of the nation. Train service could work the same way. There could be performance and safety measures to provide heightened levels of service that Amtrak is not able to meet. This is how the Japanese network works and is one of the most highly regarded in the world.