Tracking Amtrak
Reported by Bill
Kelly, STATEWIDE Correspondent
When Amtrak was created in 1971, the privately-operated railroads had decided
that passenger service was no longer worth their investment. The government
wanted to keep them rolling even if it lost money, so Amtrak was born. Even
while carrying over 22 million people a year, the books still aren't balancing
without hefty federal subsidies. A year ago the railroad had run up a $240 million
deficit. Not one of it's lines pays its own way. A study completed last year
by Congressional investigators with the General Accounting Office concluded:
"It is unlikely Amtrak can overcome its problems and continue to operate
without increases in passenger revenue and subsidies from government".
Today the Congressional auditors concede things are looking better, but with
budget cutting the rule in Washington, Amtrak's future remains cloudy and with
it, rail service through Nebraska. Omaha,
NE 12:01 AM
If you want to ride Amtrak in Nebraska, you have to be willing to get up in
the middle of the night.
[Conductor, ticketing:] "35 in the 11 car. Second one
from the end."
The first stop for the westbound Desert Wind is Omaha and
about a dozen passengers have stayed awake long enough to climb aboard at midnight.
Mary Jane Fergutti is among them heading for an adventure in Las Vegas.
[Mary Jane Fergutti:] "My husband worked for the railroad
for 33 years. It was our bread and butter all that time. Raised eight children
on that. And now -- I always like the train."
A diverse group of Nebraskans use Amtrak -- people who can't
travel any other way, people who wouldn't travel any other way.
[John Hill:] "It's so neat to be able to get on a train
in the -- at midnight and get into Winter Park and go skiing. I mean, that's
what we use it for. We've done it every year. In fact, we've got two trips scheduled
this year."
Travel by train seems a little old fashioned. There were 22
million people last year who think that's just fine.
[Ray Lang, Amtrak spokesperson:] "You can get on board,
you can relax. You can have a first-class meal. You can kick back in the lounge
car. You can have a glass of wine. It's a different way to travel. Nobody else
does it like we do and we're real proud of that."
Ray Lang speaks for Amtrak's Chicago office.
[Lange:] "We're not going to go from Los Angeles to Chicago
in two hours. We provide you with a way to get from Los Angeles to points in
between Chicago. We give you the opportunity to get to Holdrege, Nebraska and
we do it overnight."
And overnight through Nebraska, the darkest leg of the east-west
journey. There is a reason for that. Most passengers want to see the spectacular
Rocky Mountain scenery during the daylight hours. That leaves Nebraska the red
eye leg. Most people will sleep throughout this ride. Lincoln,
NE 1:07 AM
In Lincoln the same passengers who got off to smoke an hour ago are back out
on the platform lighting up again. Half a dozen more passengers get on board
here.
"All aboard!"
That there is a train leaving Lincoln at all may be rather
amazing. Amtrak has been declared dead time and again. Just a year ago the railroad
had run up a $240 million deficit. Not one of its lines pay its own way, even
east coast routes filled with commuters. Amtrak employees hope taxpayers won't
give up on the railroad completely.
[Cook on the Desert Wind:] "I don't understand why it
would be cut. You know, people need jobs. We need transportation. Why would
we be the only major country in the world with a national railroad system. That
doesn't make sense."
[Lee Gleysteen:] "Is it the role of the federal government
to make sure that communities have this service. I believe it is."
The man who oversees management of the Desert Wind, Lee Gleysteen, believes
since Amtrak has shown it can improve its financial help this past year deserves
some support from congress.
[Gleysteen:] "By the end of the fiscal year, we can close
the entire $240 million budget shortfall and actually ended up with a slight
cash reserve. First time in more than a decade that we completed a fiscal year
without needing to borrow funding to carry us through the end of the fiscal
year."
That will not be easy. Amtrak needs a big infusion of cash
to upgrade its equipment. Hastings,
NE 2:50 AM
Through the Nebraska night, the conductor does his paperwork while passengers
sleep. Any hotel or restaurant knows if the place looks shabby, the customers
won't come back. It's a real challenge for Amtrak. The typical railcar is 22
years old, almost as old as the railroad itself.
[R. L. Doney, Assistant Conductor:] "A lot of times we'll
have passengers that will have somebody that will be riding with them if they
are in a wheelchair or something like that so they can use this bed up above."
On our trip the newer cars were well appointed. The older ones were in remarkably
good shape.
[Doney:] "These are designed very well and they're very
useful for the passengers that can't use our other accommodations that are available."
Amtrak wants Congress to give the railroad one half cent per gallon of gasoline
tax you already pay. That money, over $600 million a year, would be put in a
trust fund to pay for new cars and locomotives for years to come.
[Gleysteen:] "From this point on we're going to rebuild
the system, expand ridership. We're going to increase frequency in trains, we
hope, if the ridership comes back. We feel we have a very positive story to
tell." Holdrege,
NE 3:39 AM
[G. B Poole, Holdrege:] "No passengers. Nobody on, nobody off."
Holdrege is restoring its old depot. Only a fraction of the building will now
be used for rail passengers.
[Poole:] "This was like three times as big. There used
to be an operator and telegraph room over next door and storage, shipping and
handling. And now it's all going to be offices, I guess."
Veteran railroader G.B. Pool knows a lot has changed from
the old days. It doesn't cost Amtrak anything extra to continue to serve these
Nebraska whistle stops. The railroad thinks stopping in America's small town
is part of its mission.
[Ray Lang:] "These communities see us as a lifeline,
and we believe we still provide that function, as well as bringing a lot of
dollars and a lot of visitors into Nebraska."
Well, maybe not a lot. Only a handful of people were using
the service into the state today. Ridership dropped dramatically last year after
a number of trains running through the state were slashed in half. In 1995 the
number of Amtrak tickets sold in Nebraska dropped from over 60,000 to under
43,000. It's not all due to fewer trains being available. Management had to
face the fact that its public image was very, very shaky. Problem number one,
the perception that Amtrak can't run its trains on time. A lot of passengers
who started on the east coast on this journey had a familiar story.
[Steve Grillo:] "Well, a freight car went off the rail.
Two and a half hours late. I almost missed this train."
Steve Grillo quickly added he'd ride the train again. Amtrak
is quick to point out that on time performance is about 80%. Tonight Desert
Wind is on time, but when we passed the eastbound California Zephyr in the middle
of the night, it's running at least a full hour behind. McCook,
NE 4:58 AM
Compared to Hastings and Holdrege, McCook almost bustles. Dolores Reed drove
from Merna. She'll be riding to Grand Junction to visit relatives. Getting more
passengers like her is another part of Amtrak's survival strategy.
[Ray Lang:] "People have lost sight of the fact that
there is viable interstate rail service through their community or nearby. In
a lot of cases we can provide service to major terminals such as Omaha or Denver
for the passenger in Hastings or McCook for them to begin an air trip much more
conveniently than they can drive."
Finally Amtrak hopes improved service will win them over.
By the time the Desert Wind leaves Nebraska and crosses into Colorado, dawn
is spreading over the high plains and breakfast is being served. The food is
hot and fresh and served by an attentive staff on China and with the rocky mountains
on the horizon, the view is just spectacular. It's times like this, it seems
like train travel from days gone by.
"$318 for all these stops we're making and it was really
good. We couldn't pass it up."
"You get on the train, you can walk around, you can see
everything, you can eat, everything."
"Actually the train on the way to Denver wasn't as nice
as this train here. This car right here, it's just beautiful."
Passengers await for the arrival to Denver are almost unanimous
in their enthusiasm for riding the rails and the need for the federal government
to keep the rail service alive.
"And we should have rail service from New York to California
definitely."
[Bill Kelly:] "And the federal government should pay
part of it?"
"They do for everybody else." [whistle blows] Denver, CO 7:35
AM
[Train announcer:] "As you can see we'll be arriving in Denver this morning
pretty early."
A full 40 minutes early. Some passengers are even caught a
little off guard. Inside the Denver station, almost as many west coast bound
passengers are ready to replace those getting off here. They will be treated
to a spectacular view of the Rocky Mountains this morning. For anyone traveling
east to Chicago, the California Zephyr deppers Denver at 9:00 tonight. It will
be another night train on the eastbound ride through Nebraska. Nine and a half
hours later, Amtrak rolls into Omaha. The train is right on time.
[Conductor:] "And that's that."
For STATEWIDE, I'm Bill Kelly.
Captioning by Nebraska
Captioning Center, Lincoln, Nebraska .
