Update on Amtrak
Ray Lang
Chief, State Government Relations
Amtrak Today
• America’s intercity provider
– 305 weekday trains
– 21,200 route-miles
– Serves 46 States, 3 Canadian provinces, and
Washington, DC
• FY2013, system ridership record of 31.6 M
passengers
– 10th such record in the past 11 years
– $2.1 billion in ticket revenue
– Amtrak recovers 89% of its operating costs
• This is an exciting time to be at Amtrak!
–
A new strategy
– A new organization
– Some big challenges
1
FY 2015 Grant and Legislative Request in Context
FY 2014
Amtrak
Request
FY 2014
Federal Grant
FY 2015
Amtrak
Request
Operating
$373
$340
$701
Capital
2,065
841
760
Debt Service
212
199
150
FRA oversight
n/a
$10
$9
Total
$2,650*
$1,390
$1,620
*Excludes FRA oversight numbers
• Request sized to approach historically funded level
– Time and investment needed to size organization for growth
• Proposal restructures grant to maximize available capital
– More operating funding allows us to leverage revenues
– Projected FY 15 capital level would rise to $1,129 ($278M above FY 14 appropriated level)
•
Cost recovery improvement is forecasted
Goal is to “drive a wedge” for a gradual expansion of our capital program
2
The Strategic Context
• Amtrak has just released updated version of our corporate
strategy
• Three overarching strategic goals
– Financial excellence
– Customer Focus
– Safety and Security
• CUS represents an enormous potential revenue opportunity
– Location
– Unused space
– Potential for improvement of existing space
3
The importance of CUS
• Crossroads of the system
– 56 daily Amtrak trains
– 350 weekday Metra trains
– Every LD train west of the
Appalachians, except the Coast
Starlight
• 4th largest Amtrak station on
ridership basis
– 3.2 million Amtrak
– 31 million Metra
Any property with this much traffic represents a major development opportunity
4
Chicago Union Station Master Plan
• Master planning process led by CDOT, in close
cooperation with Amtrak and Metra
• Identify & assess near-, medium-, and long-term
station improvements to encourage and
accommodate growth
• Three City-led near-term improvements to be built in
2014-2015:
– Central Loop Bus Rapid Transit (CLBRT)
– Union Station Transit Center (USTC)
• Opportunities for innovative and economical
capacity expansion in the medium-term (5-10 year
horizon)
5
Near Term Projects
• Union Station Transit Center
Bird’s Eye View, facing
northwest
• Central Loop Bus Rapid Transit
RANDOLPH
WASHINGTON
Amtrak’s
Main
Entrance
MADISON
Legend
UNION
STATIO
N
USTC
JACKSON
BLVD
New dedicated bus lanes
Bus routes feeding bus lanes
New protected bike lanes
New BRT stations
6
Innovative Capacity Expansion (medium term)
Unused
Baggage
Platform
Widened
Commuter
Platform
• Reconfigure concourse
• Widen commuter platforms
and add direct street access
• Repurpose mail platforms for
passenger use
Old steam tunnel passageway and basement, repurposed for
passenger use
• Create capability to throughroute some intercity trains
7
Create the capability to through-route some intercity trains
UNION
STATION
Great Hall
Chicago’s intercity passenger train network
Through tracks could allow passenger rail
connections to O’Hare and points beyond
Old Mail Platforms
Repurposed for
Passenger Use
Improved
Through
Tracks
8
Questions?
9