White House forces out CEO of passenger railroad Amtrak

[BumRushDaShow]

Last edited Wed Mar 19, 2025, 06:53 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: Reuters

March 19, 2025 5:52 PM EDT Updated 18 min ago


WASHINGTON, March 19 (Reuters) - The White House this week forced Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner to step down as head of the U.S. passenger railroad after President Donald Trump sought the changes, two sources told Reuters. Gardner said on Wednesday he will resign immediately, ending more than four years as head of the railroad, citing concerns about maintaining the carrier's support from the Trump administration.

"I am stepping down as CEO to ensure that Amtrak continues to enjoy the full faith and confidence of this administration," Gardner said in a statement. A White House official told Reuters Gardner had been asked to step down. An Amtrak spokesperson declined to comment on whether he had been asked to leave.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement that Amtrak needs to address safety concerns at Washington's Union Station. "It’s time for Amtrak leadership to clean up Union Station," he said. "It’s time to rid our nation's treasures of homelessness and crime. Commuters and travelers need to feel safe in our capital."

Billionaire Elon Musk, who is advising Trump on plans to radically shrink the U.S. government, said earlier this month he thought Amtrak should be privatized. Trump, during his first term, repeatedly sought to cut funding to Amtrak, which received about $2.4 billion in annual federal support in 2023. Congress last week approved $2.42 billion for Amtrak through September 30 in annual funding. Amtrak said in December ridership topped 2019 pre-COVID-19 levels for the first time in 2024, reaching a record high even with less capacity.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-passenger-railroad-amtrak-ceo-abruptly-steps-down-2025-03-19/

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45's and Muskrat's credos - "If it ain't broke, break it".

Amtrak already IS a semi-public/private "corporation" (it even has stocks - although privately owned by the government) and was subsidized by the government (state/federal) BECAUSE when its predecessor conglomerate of routes were FULLY "private", it was failing.

H.R.17849 - Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970

[bluestarone]

1. Well now, Let's see what else this stupid bunch of traitors can DESTROY

They seem to narrowing down that list pretty well.

[maxsolomon]

2. It's Amtrak's job to solve the Homeless Crisis?

Good luck, Sean Duffy.

If the Gubmint hadn't taken over passenger rail service in 1970 there wouldn't be any today.

[underpants]

5. They want everything privatized.

Weather (Accuweather)
Mail (UPS and Fed Ex acct an won’t do that)
Rail (I think they are unionized too).

They think the private sector has to run things better but they ignore the cost.

Gardner makes $500k a year. Plus benefits. That’s more than a POTUS. They aren’t going someone to mange a $2.4 B budget for anything less. They want to cut everyday employees pay. Maintenance is a mother.

With 21,000 route miles in 46 states, the District of Columbia and three Canadian provinces, Amtrak operates more than 300 trains each day — at speeds up to 150 mph — to more than 500 destinations.

[moniss]

3. The whole history of passenger rail in the US shows

that it is not profitable as a private enterprise. Without the federal assistance the rates would go so high people would freak out and in the Eastern corridor there is no viable alternative for the daily commute for so many people. We've been through this before and there aren't enough roads, parking spaces etc. to take up the slack and air shuttle is impractical for trying to handle so many people. The only thing that has "worked", such as it exists, is for the combination of air, road and rail we have now.

When the rail companies decided to break up the freight/passenger aspect to rail companies the support that freight profits gave to the passenger side of service ended. In some ways the same attitude about TV moguls deciding that entertainment "shouldn't have to support the news" and that the news division "needed to be profitable on it's own". So we end up with "news-tainment" which poorly serves us and we end up with the freight/Amtrak split and the freight end has kept cannibalizing itself and showing declines in service and safety while Amtrak gets hamstrung by the GQP politicians who want to view passenger rail as supposing to be a private business rather than a public service/public utility sort of view that recognizes both it's necessity and need for affordability.

But such has been/still is the dilemma of public transit/mass transit. Most of them want to kill it because they don't use it or need it and they would love to privatize it and squeeze what money they could for themselves until it collapses and they walk away.

[Deminpenn]

4. 100% correct

nt

[ananda]

6. Gonna be Elon's new AI toy?

Maybe he'll call it Musktrak.

[Donman]

7. Off the rails

Thank you Comrade Trump and Stealth President with all the "brains", Comrade Musk. Now Amtrak can be run off the rails like the illegal work you"ve been trying to perform with all the Departments of the Federal Goverment you want to eliminate or privatize.. We the people have your number. It's cipher as in Lucipher.