Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Amtrak

Drivers Cover Just 51 Percent of U.S. Road Spending

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 23, 2013 | No Comments

There’s a persistent misconception in American culture that transit is a big drain on public coffers while roads conveniently and totally pay for themselves through the magic of gas taxes. And that used to be true — at least for interstate highways, a fraction of the total road network. But that was many, many failed […]

Mica’s New Post Gives Him a Good Vantage Point For Sniping at Amtrak

By Tanya Snyder | Jan 3, 2013 | No Comments

Perhaps Rep. John Mica’s most remarkable legacy as chair of the House Transportation Committee is the single-minded focus he gave to attacking Amtrak. Under the guise of wanting it to succeed, Mica has repeatedly excoriated it as a “Soviet-style monopoly” and a waste of taxpayer dollars. He’s tried to sell off its only profitable line, […]

What Would Meaningful Amtrak Reform Look Like?

By Tanya Snyder | Nov 29, 2012 | No Comments

For the past two years, Amtrak has been under constant attack from House Transportation Committee Chair John Mica (R-FL), who has used his gavel to bully the rail company. He likes to call it a “Soviet-style” monopoly and he goads it for losing money on everything from long-distance routes to food service. His vitriolic diatribes […]

Reminder: Amtrak Subsidies Pale in Comparison to Highway Subsidies

By Tanya Snyder | Sep 21, 2012 | No Comments

Mica went after subsidies in this one, and he clearly thinks this is a winning issue. After all, Amtrak has gotten nearly $1 billion a year in federal funds over its 41-year existence. The per-ticket subsidy over the past five years has averaged nearly $51. Mica compared that to other forms of transportation: Using 2008 […]

Romney Wins Iowa, Loses the Rail Passenger Vote

By Tanya Snyder | Jan 4, 2012 | No Comments

In a landslide (er, eight-vote) victory over former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum in the Iowa caucus last night, Mitt Romney solidified his lead over the rag-tag field of GOP nominees. He also took an opportunity, the day before the caucus, to make a tired old argument against public support of passenger rail service. I gotta […]

How Will the House Answer the Senate’s Transportation Funding Bill?

By Tanya Snyder | Nov 2, 2011 | No Comments

The full Senate passed a major appropriations bill yesterday, including funding levels for transportation and housing. The Senate put the kibosh on Sen. Rand Paul’s attempt to strip bike/ped funding from the federal transportation program, as we reported yesterday. Here’s the lowdown on the bill as a whole. The upper chamber maintained funding for several […]

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