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YesIDoBlowCops t1_itgf95y wrote

Reply to comment by tacitus23 in They removed the charging outlets at Penn Station and replaced them with this garbage. by umbligado

Amtrak is basically a government agency. They are not really subject to normal market forces. It's more like you are complaining about something the DMV does and blaming it on "capitalism". I have friends who work for Amtrak and they are hilariously overpaid and the benefits are insane. That's part of the reason why train travel is so expensive in the US. I know a friend who is an engineer(train driver) making about 200k plus the most incredible benefit package I've ever heard of. It's a job that requires a high school education and nothing else. My friend's Dad just retired from amtrak after 25 years and is receving 6k per month for life plus another 1k for his spouse, also for life. That's why a last minute ticket is $315 from Baltimore to NYC. Amtrak loses money all the time but it routinely bailed out by congress. If it were more of a free market they wouldn't be able to operate the way they do. From an environmental perspective train travel is prefereble but high ticket prices encourage more people to drive everywhere.

It's alot like the police union in Baltimore. The unions rig it so the taxpayer pays these incredible compensation packages and the state can't really go bankrupt so the gravy train continues indefinitely. If the union were attached to a private company then the company goes under if the union is too greedy like with the American car manufacturers.

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umbligado OP t1_itgo6mt wrote

I’m not quibbling with your larger points, but just to be clear, the Amtrak northeast corridor is generally net positive in terms of profitability.

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YesIDoBlowCops t1_itgpexo wrote

And the other lines lose money.

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Xanny t1_ithsm8n wrote

Amtrak, by its government charter, is obligated to run those lines, even when the fees they pay the track operators are extortionary and the trains themselves are too low ridership (largely because they cannot be on time when freight takes priority, and also because trains on the freight tracks are slow by track limits Amtrak cannot improve and freight operators have no reason to). Amtrak can be inefficient, but blaming its unprofitable lines on Amtrak is absurd.

There is also the whole infrastructure and transit should not be profitable. Roads in the US are never profitable. If you put a toll on it, its usually only there long enough to recoup the initial construction costs. Ongoing maintenance and unkeep still come out of state DoT budgets. The fact people want the passenger rail lines to be profitable while subsidizing the interstates completely and then wonder why there isn't more demand for trains is a major 4head mood (especially when basically nobody anywhere can live car free).

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umbligado OP t1_itgqqjp wrote

Correct, especially the long routes in less populated areas.

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Most_Difference_2521 t1_itgzjj7 wrote

Just fyi since you’re so concerned with what everyone else is getting ie: union benefits, Amtrak employees, etc: we pay in to our own pension. Meaning it comes out of our paychecks. Don’t worry about your tax dollars going to retirees pal.

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YesIDoBlowCops t1_ith4vjd wrote

As a former federal employee, you know as well as I do that these jobs are bogus and the employees would make nowhere near what they make in the private sector.

Furthermore what you said is false. The federal government funds amtrak retirement benefits to an extent and we know this because it has been the subject of republican attack in the past. I looked it up and as of 2021 about 25% are from federal government sources. The pension system is definitely not fully amtrak funded and also amtrak is bailed out every couple of years with federal cash in addition to that subsidy. It's in the RRB 2022 annual report if you want to see for yourself.

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Most_Difference_2521 t1_ith8mk4 wrote

Im not going to engage with you over this. You’re wrong. I know this because all I have to do is look at my paycheck. I know what Tier 1 and Tier 2 are.

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YesIDoBlowCops t1_ithex6t wrote

The money is contributed from salaries that are extremely bloated to begin with. How much of a paycut would you take if you tried to get a job in the private sector? Some people get mad when they see facts that they don't want to acknowledge. Looks like you are one of those people.

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Most_Difference_2521 t1_ithgobv wrote

“The money is contributed from salaries…”

So after telling me I’m wrong you now admit that the pension money comes from the salaries?

Also instead of blocking me you could just say “you’re right”😆

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Most_Difference_2521 t1_ith91md wrote

And as a side note a lot of people’s education on the railroad goes beyond high school. Trade school? Military experience? No everyone needs(not wants) a college degree to make money. Worried about government excess? Do you want to talk about private sector corporate bailouts? The absolutely bloated military budget? Amtrak is small potatoes in the grand scheme of things.

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YesIDoBlowCops t1_ithetmm wrote

You don't have to bullshit me, I know what the deal is. Yes I oppose all forms of waste fraud and abuse.

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Most_Difference_2521 t1_ithfayo wrote

How am I bullshitting you? And if you believe there’s waste, abuse and fraud going on in a publicly transparent part of the government you should definitely go file a formal complaint. You sound like you’re really good at complaining

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ccbmtg t1_ithghdv wrote

I think you might find that without government subsidies (aka tax money), automobile and fuel prices would be pretty ludicrous as well.

and that link only discusses individual state subsidies, not federal.

general motors alone is the second highest recipient of federal subsidies, at $3.5 billion, second only to Boeing at a whopping $13b.

>That's why a last minute ticket is $315 from Baltimore to NYC.

surely this has nothing to do with a capitalist company exploiting your emergency or poor planning, based on basic market forces such as supply and demand.

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