Benefits of Long-Distance Passenger Trains:

 

Amtrak’s Long-distance trains provide basic transportation for a majority of its passengers. Long-distance trains serve a broad range of purposes and make them Amtrak’s most productive trains.

 

Unlike “cruise trains,” a single long-distance train fills many roles as it crosses the country.  It provides a comfortable, convenient, affordable and safe way to travel for an average of 364 people per train start.

 

Cruise trains, such as the American Orient Express or Rocky Mountaineer, do not provide everyday transportation - they provide a service to a very select market: those willing to pay a premium for a luxurious train ride.  Frequently the patrons fly or drive many miles just to take the train.

 

In many cases long-distance passenger trains gets closer to a traveler’s final destination than flying, particularly in smaller towns such as Dodge City, Kansas, where the nearest major airport can require a 4-5 hour drive.

 

Average distances traveled on Amtrak’s long-distance routes are half the route length, up to 1,100 miles.

Long-distance train riders range from the most cost conscious traveler up to the very well-heeled.  Average fare is $130, hardly the fare of a “cruise train” passenger which can cost $3,000 and more.

 

  Total psgr                  Psgr miles                                 Passenger                                (2000 data)

      miles                                per train mile                                    miles

 

Long-distance                                 52%                  181                                         2,800,000,000

Northeast Corridor                                                           78                                            352,000,000

Midwest Corridor                                                      89

 

Long-haul trains contribute to Amtrak’s overhead.  Fares very likely either cover or come close to covering the trains’ direct operating costs.  Those that do not are burdened by inadequate infrastructure. 

 

Cutting long-distance trains will not substantially improve Amtrak's performance.  Amtrak's financial performance will likely deteriorate after route reductions, as it always has following service reductions.

 

Long-distance trains feed passengers to other short-distance corridor trains and vice-versa. Cutting one train will reduce usage on other trains.  Simply reducing service will degrade the performance of the remaining trains. This was seen during the 1979 cuts that ended popular routes such as Chicago-Oklahoma City-Houston and the discontinuance of the well-patronized Salt Lake City - Seattle and Los Angeles - Las Vegas - Salt Lake City service in 1996.

 

The true demand and costs of long-distance train travel are not known.  Nor is the true cost of operating those trains. Amtrak measures and releases few statistics regarding long-distance train travel.

 

Long-distance trains are under attack for being poor performers and yet they perform better in many measurement categories than corridor trains.

 

The U.S. has poured $329 billion into new highway construction in the past 40 years without raising much public indignation, but the halls of Congress are full of cries for the elimination of Amtrak subsidies, which have cost us all of  $25 billion since 1971. 

 

 

Passenger trains receive only 4% as much in federal subsidies as the $13 billion pulled in annually by airports.

 

All transportation in this country, except most freight railroads, is subsidized in some way. Other modes - airlines, trucks, buses, automobiles, and barges - operate on publicly-owned facilities. Although these modes pay special taxes and user fees, they do not come close to covering the cost to the public of maintaining their infrastructure.

 

Serving 530 cities, Amtrak’s short and long-distance trains serve far more cities than any single airline.

The most cities any single airline serves is 220 (Continental). United Airlines serves 145 cities; Southwest Airlines, 58.