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WASHINGTON - Though Congress approved a $1.2-billion subsidy for Amtrak, the money-losing passenger railroad still is careening toward a major disruption in service.
To save it, the Transportation Department's inspector general says, Congress must do more. Considering current Amtrak policies, says Inspector General Kenneth Mead, it's up to lawmakers to determine what must go and what may stay to restructure Amtrak and stop the hemorrhaging.
"Without clear direction from the Congress, Amtrak has taken the position that it should essentially maintain the status quo," Mead wrote in an assessment being released today.
Mead said it's impossible to tell when the railroad will experience a major failure.
Tracks need to be repaired, locomotives and cars need overhauls and three bridges over rivers in Connecticut must be replaced before they fail. David Gunn, who took over as Amtrak president 21/2 years ago, has cut costs but not enough to stem the railroad's annual loss of more than $500-million.
Gunn has staunchly defended the need for a national passenger railroad system, although some long-distance lines lose more than $100 per rider. He has asked for bigger subsidies - $1.8-billion this year - than Congress has been willing to approve.
The $1.2-billion that Amtrak ended up with in the huge spending bill passed Saturday is less than it needs to maintain the railroad, according to Mead's report.
Mead, the Bush administration and some members of Congress want to eliminate unprofitable routes and invest instead between cities fewer than 500 miles apart. Enough members of Congress serve in districts that don't want to lose service, however, that proposals always have failed.