Old equipment may slow Amtrak’s expansion plans

WASHINGTON – Amtrak is still using some equipment that dates back half a century, and obstacles to getting new equipment could stand in the way of the railroad’s expansion plans, the company’s president told Congress on Tuesday.

Alex Kummant said one major difficulty is the lack of existing U.S. manufacturers of rail cars.

“While we have enough equipment to serve today’s needs, we lack the equipment it takes to foster corridor development,” Kummant said in remarks prepared for the railroads subcommittee of the House transportation and infrastructure committee.

“It will be a challenge to obtain the necessary equipment to fully exploit our intercity corridor development opportunities, as well as to modernize and replace much of the existing fleet, some of which dates to the early 1950s,” Kummant said.

Since taking over at Amtrak last fall, Kummant has said Amtrak needs to focus on developing and enhancing service on corridors – frequently traveled routes up to about 500 miles, like the northeast corridor running from Boston to Washington. The railroad wants to forge partnerships with states, which can pay for such service where they see a need. Currently, 14 states pay Amtrak for service.

The lack of U.S. rail car companies is only part of the equipment problem, Kummant said. Globally, there aren’t that many manufacturers either, and “mega-projects” in China and elsewhere are keeping them busy, meaning Amtrak will have to get in line, he told the Associated Press.

The rail car companies have “pretty good order books,” he said.

Kummant said Amtrak would likely begin seeking information from rail car manufacturers about ordering new cars in the next year. He said getting new cars would likely take three to five years.

In recent years, when routes are added or expanded, Amtrak has been able to refurbish old cars or divert them from elsewhere. But if Amtrak wanted to add new service somewhere today, “we’d be pretty pinched,” Kummant said.

In his testimony, Kummant said Amtrak would continue to invest in the northeast corridor, its central asset, even as it focuses on the needs of the states. He said company officials are meeting in New York today with northeast corridor stakeholders.

“In the past several years, Amtrak has made significant investments in this asset, and I believe that it is in the best condition it has been in decades,” Kummant said.

Some outside of Amtrak have proposed breaking off the northeast corridor – the only significant portion of track owned by the railroad.

Joe McHugh, Amtrak’s vice president for government affairs, said Amtrak hoped Wednesday’s meeting would be the first in a series of regular discussions. He said the main issue facing the corridor is an urgent need for upgrades to many tunnels and bridges.

“It’s going to be costly. We’re going to need their help and they’re going to need our help,” McHugh said, referring to the states.

Officials from all the states on the northeast corridor and the District of Columbia were expected to attend, McHugh said. Virginia, which is linked into the corridor, will also be represented, he said.

At the hearing, Kummant and Amtrak board Chairman David Laney were grilled by several committee members on when trains on the northeast corridor will go as fast as high-speed European trains. The Acela Express, Amtrak’s fastest train, travels up to 150 mph on portions of the corridor, but in other spots must slow down considerably.

Kummant said truly high-speed service would be impossible without a lot of new track because of the many commuter rail roads, as well as some freight traffic, that run on the same tracks.