News
AMTRAK GOES PRIVATE?
June 14, 2011
| And the Congressional savings search continues: Yesterday, US High Speed Rail Association VP Tom Hart (whom we snapped at Bisnow HQ) told us Amtrak, which is government-owned and HQ'd in DC's Union Station, might sell its rail infrastructure to save money. |
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| A long-term lease is also a possibility, and he says the agency would still operate trains. Congressman John Mica of Florida first brought up the idea two weeks ago (he's holding a hearing on it tomorrow), and Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois will introduce a similar bill this week. If it goes through, the Department of Transportation would handle the sale or lease. He also says it's hardly a revolutionary concept: Public-private partnerships in mass transit are common in Europe and Asia (especially Japan). Tom's take? ?We're focused on cutting travel time on the Acela from DC to NY to 90 minutes,? he says. ?The last estimates show that it'd cost the government $107M to make that happen, but the private sector could do it with $70M.? Want more? Tune in next time on The Young and the Amtrak. |
