All in a days work: Amtrak announces fare raise; kills two people

The NY Times reports that:

"Amtrak said its ticket prices would rise 5 percent to 7 percent on Tuesday for an average increase of about $4 to cover rising costs. But a round-trip ticket from New York to Washington on a high-speed Acela train, which now costs $314, will go up about $22.

"In a more controversial move, Amtrak plans to sharply reduce the discount it offers to the thousands of Northeastern commuters who buy monthly passes and 10-trip tickets. Under that plan, the monthly tariff for some will rise $150 to $200 on Oct. 16 and an equal amount in February.

The same day, Wednesday, September 27, the Times reported that, "A high-speed Amtrak Acela train plowed into a car at a crossing Wednesday, killing a woman and her 8-year-old grandson and causing major delays along the Boston-to-Washington corridor."

Amtrak doesn't deserve any fare increase until they can provide safe, clean punctual service. Keep writing and complaining!

After Backlash, Amtrak Delays Fare Increase - New York Times

It's good to see that the "backlash" did the trick. According to the Times:

...the potential gain from squeezing the small but vocal band of regulars is relatively small. Only about 2,000 people buy multiple-ride tickets each month, with most of them paying from $500 to $750. Even if all of them continued buying the higher-priced passes, the additional revenue to Amtrak would not amount to much more than $5 million a year. That's a rounding error to an operation that takes in about $2 billion and spends about $3 billion each year.

But this is no time to be complacent:

Representative Fitzpatrick, who met with Mr. Gunn yesterday morning to protest the fare increase and Amtrak's plan to cease service to a station in Cornwells Heights, Pa., north of Philadelphia, was pleased to hear that Mr. Gunn had decided to shelve both ideas, at least temporarily. But he said that Mr. Gunn did not commit to revising the fare increase, only to taking more time to explain it.

"I think there's a reason that Amtrak postponed its proposed fare increase," Mr. Fitzpatrick said. "I hope it's because there's another way."

Full article:http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/16/nyregion/16amtrak.html?pagewanted=print

Amtrak Caves to Pressure, Postpones Fare Increase Indefinitely

National Railroad Passenger Corporation
60 Massachusetts Avenue NE
Washington, DC 20002
www.amtrak.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media Relations (202) 906-3860
ATK-05-076

September 15, 2005
Amtrak To Postpone September 20 Fare Increase

WASHINGTON – Amtrak announced today that it has postponed its planned fare increases, originally scheduled to become effective on September 20. No new date for the fare action has been set. Amtrak postponed the action to conclude additional briefings with public officials and other interested groups.

On September 9, Amtrak announced a fare increase in part to recover escalating fuel costs. As part of the overall fare increase, Amtrak intends to standardize and reduce its discounts on monthly Smart Passes, which are currently as much as 70%.

An average of 1,989 monthly NEC Regional train Smart Passes and 178 monthly Empire Service Smart Passes are purchased each month.

About Amtrak

Amtrak provides intercity passenger rail services to more than 500 destinations in 46 states on a 22,000-mile route system. For schedules, fares and information, passengers may call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com.null"

Update on fare increase

I was told by another commuter this morning that the monthly passes will go up 33%, but that an October pass can be still purchased at the old price until September 19th.

Fight the Amtrak fare increase for commuters!

Amtrak is planning a 50% fare increase for for regular commuters throughout the Northeast corridor. Such a plan would:

• Result in reduced revenues for Amtrak - most commuters will choose another method of transportation fares are raised to this level. Some, like myself, would consider leaving my current jobfor one closer to home - even if it required a substantial decrease in salary.
• Endanger the still fragile economic recovery by reducing disposable income and causing hardship to
  working people who commute long distances to support families.
  
• Increase air pollution and related health risks in congested urban areas by forcing more people to
  drive to work.
  
• Increase our energy dependence on countries that harbor terrorists.
  

As a commuter, a voter and an environmentally concerned citizen I strongly urge everyone to fight the increase by contacting your elected representatives, regulatory agencies and Amtrak management. Tell them you oppose any plan for an Amtrak fare increase. A list of contacts appears below.

Senators Lott and Lautenberg are now pushing to get Amtrak's funding approved. Drop them a line and let them know that Amtrak doesn't deserve a taxpayer subsidy if fares are so exorbitant that no one can afford them.

Email me with any related news you may hear or other people or agencies to contact at empirecommuter@yahoo.com

Thanks!

David Solomonoff

Contacts and Links

Mr. David L. Gunn, President
Amtrak Customer Relations
60 Massachusetts Avenue
Washington DC 20002
fax: 202-906-2211

Note: It is best to call 1 800-USA-RAIL, then press "0" and ask for customer relations, explain why you are
calling and ask for a reference number. Include the number in your letter to Mr. Gunn.

Kate Warr, Administrator
Amtrak Customer Advisory Committee
900 E. Second Street, NE, Suite 308
Washington, DC 20002

Secretary of Transportation
Norman Y. Mineta
Norman.Mineta@ost.dot.gov
Telephone: 202-366-1111
FAX: 202-366-7202

AMTRAK REFORM COUNCIL
Gilbert E. Carmichael - Chairman
Thomas A. Till - Executive Director
tom.till@oig.dot.gov
Telephone: 202-366-0591

Amtrak Office of the Inspector General, http://www.amtrakoig.com/

NARP - National Association of Railroad Passengers, http://www.narprail.org

American Public Transportation Association (APTA), http://www.apta.com/

Friends of Amtrak, http://trainweb.com/crocon/amtrak.html

Save Amtrak, http://www.saveamtrak.org/

Amtrak Reform Council, http://www.amtrakreformcouncil.gov/

Federal Railroad Administration, http://www.fra.dot.gov/site/index.htm


U.S. Department of Transportation, http://www.dot.gov/

The Empire State Passengers Association, http://www.trainweb.com/espa/


Tri-State Transportation Campaign, http://www.tstc.org/


New York Governor George E. Pataki
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
http://www.state.ny.us/governor/


Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
(212) 788-9600
FAX (212) 788-2460
E-MAIL: http://nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mayor.html



President Mr.George W.Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
SWITCHBOARD: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
e-mail: president@whitehouse.gov
Web Site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/

NY Senators

Schumer, Charles (D - NY)
313 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6542
Web page to send email:
http://schumer.senate.gov/webform.html

Clinton, Hillary (D - NY)
476 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4451
Web page to send email:

http://clinton.senate.gov/email_form.html


To find your Congressperson, go to this website:


http://www.house.gov/writerep/
and enter your full nine-digit zipcode.

NY Times: Amtrak Is Said to Be Planning a Big Fare Rise

The NY Times reports:

Amtrak is preparing to announce a significant increase in fares that will push up the monthly cost of commuting for thousands of train riders in the Northeast by as much as 50 percent, according to railroad industry officials, commuter advocates and Congressional staff members.

Some commuters who travel regularly on Amtrak trains between Washington and Boston said ticket agents had warned them of a pending increase that could add hundreds of dollars to the cost of their monthly passes. By yesterday afternoon, people who work on Capitol Hill said Amtrak employees had told them an announcement about a big rise in fares was imminent, probably coming next week.

Representative Robert E. Andrews, a Democrat from Haddon Heights, N.J., said he had heard about the coming increase, which was characterized as a reduction of the discount on multitrip tickets. In other words, he said, "It would be a fare increase on monthly passes."

Mr. Andrews said he had not been told how big the increase would be.

But another person who said he had been briefed on the plan said the cost of monthly travel between some cities in the Northeast would rise more than 50 percent, though the increase would be much smaller for other tickets. This person, who had not been cleared by Amtrak to talk, said commuters would bear the brunt of the increase because they had been spared in previous price increases.