Former Amtrak presidents: cutting Texas Eagle & other trains to tri-weekly didn't work before
August 3rd, 2020
August 3, 2020 - Trains Magazine - Bob Johnston -
Deja vu: Amtrak service to be cut from daily to 3x weekly October 1
1995 plan that cut trains to "save money" didn't work
Expected "savings" did not offset costs
Any savings Amtrak management may achieve by reducing most long-distance trains to triweekly service will be overshadowed by a precipitous drop in revenue, additional unforeseen expenses, and a crippled ability to restart service.
That assessment is the consensus of former Amtrak managers contacted by Trains News Wire: former president and CEOs Thomas Downs and David Gunn; former vice president of transportation Bob Vander Clute; and two product line managers responsible for growing revenue and managing costs in the mid-1990s, when many long-distance train frequencies were reduced in a bid to cut expenses while promising to keep routes intact.
Read more: https://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2020/08/03-former-amtrak-president-revisits-previous-move-to-triweekly-service
Deja vu: Amtrak service to be cut from daily to 3x weekly October 1
1995 plan that cut trains to "save money" didn't work
Expected "savings" did not offset costs
Any savings Amtrak management may achieve by reducing most long-distance trains to triweekly service will be overshadowed by a precipitous drop in revenue, additional unforeseen expenses, and a crippled ability to restart service.
That assessment is the consensus of former Amtrak managers contacted by Trains News Wire: former president and CEOs Thomas Downs and David Gunn; former vice president of transportation Bob Vander Clute; and two product line managers responsible for growing revenue and managing costs in the mid-1990s, when many long-distance train frequencies were reduced in a bid to cut expenses while promising to keep routes intact.
Read more: https://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2020/08/03-former-amtrak-president-revisits-previous-move-to-triweekly-service