A piece of American history, along with the future of several rural towns in New Mexico, Colorado and Kansas, hang in the balance in a dispute about who should pay the $200 million bill to upgrade an Amtrak railroad line to allow the Southwest Chief train to travel at faster speeds, Dan Frosch reports for The New York Times. (NYT graphic: Southwest Chief route)
Amtrak has asked the three states where repairs are most needed "to each pitch in $40 million over 20
years to help pay for track upgrades and maintenance it says are needed
to keep the route viable. But some state officials are balking, saying
that Amtrak, which draws financial support from the federal government,
should cover the costs itself." If an agreement isn't reached by the end of the year, "Amtrak says it will potentially drop
nine small-town stations in favor of existing track in Texas and
Oklahoma."
The route, which has been in operation since 1971 and consistently averages 250,000 passengers a year, runs from Los Angeles to Chicago, stopping at several small towns along the way. Many of those towns rely on the train's passengers to support their economies. Jim Maldonado, chairman of the board of commissioners for Colfax County, where the train stops in Raton, N.M., told Frosch, “We need this train here. Losing it would be devastating for our county. Things have just been dying out here for years.”
Amtrak "says that the tracks that guide the Southwest Chief will soon be unable to withstand the speed that a modern passenger train needs to stay efficient," Frosch writes. Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari told him, “The train is not viable as a business when it operates at a lower speed, because it ends up being slower than driving.” He said the company doesn't have the funding to pay for the upgrades on its own, a statement that doesn't sit well with the three states being asked to hand over $40 million. New Mexico's transportation secretary Tom Church told Frosch, “We need to look at the cost-benefit of the whole thing. Obviously, we would like to see the route continue, but there is also the issue that Amtrak is funded by Congress.” (Read more)
The route, which has been in operation since 1971 and consistently averages 250,000 passengers a year, runs from Los Angeles to Chicago, stopping at several small towns along the way. Many of those towns rely on the train's passengers to support their economies. Jim Maldonado, chairman of the board of commissioners for Colfax County, where the train stops in Raton, N.M., told Frosch, “We need this train here. Losing it would be devastating for our county. Things have just been dying out here for years.”
Amtrak "says that the tracks that guide the Southwest Chief will soon be unable to withstand the speed that a modern passenger train needs to stay efficient," Frosch writes. Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari told him, “The train is not viable as a business when it operates at a lower speed, because it ends up being slower than driving.” He said the company doesn't have the funding to pay for the upgrades on its own, a statement that doesn't sit well with the three states being asked to hand over $40 million. New Mexico's transportation secretary Tom Church told Frosch, “We need to look at the cost-benefit of the whole thing. Obviously, we would like to see the route continue, but there is also the issue that Amtrak is funded by Congress.” (Read more)
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