Amtrak tops rail record

Amtrak carried a record 25.8 million rail passengers in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, the carrier said yesterday.

The biggest increase in customers was along the Northeast Corridor that runs between Washington, New York and Boston.

“Highway and airway congestion, volatile fuel prices, increasing environmental awareness and a need for transportation links between growing communities are some of the factors that make intercity passenger rail extremely relevant in today’s world,” Amtrak President Alex Kummant said.

The previous record of 25.03 million passengers was set in 2004, before Amtrak transferred some services to a commuter rail agency.

Revenue from Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor operations increased by 14 percent to $829.3 million. Acela Express, the high-speed rail service that runs between Washington and Boston, showed a 20 percent rise in ridership to 3.1 million passengers and a 23 percent increase in revenue to $403.5 million.

“More and more of the people you see in Union Station are toting luggage, indicating that they are not just commuters but Amtrak passengers taking train trips,” said Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black. “It’s a boom time for us.”

Amtrak’s national headquarters is located in Washington’s Union Station.

The report of record ridership comes at a time Amtrak is caught in a struggle in Congress whether to continue the national passenger railroad in its current form or turn it over to more state control for a series of regional rail services.

Amtrak has never operated profitably since the federal government organized it in 1970, which prompted the Bush administration to propose drastically reducing the railroad’s federal subsidies.

However, Amtrak has won broad support in Congress for its service through 46 states.

Amtrak received a $1.3 billion federal subsidy in fiscal 2007. Although its new budget has not yet been approved, the railroad asked for $1.53 billion for fiscal 2008.

The Bush administration proposed giving it only $800 million, plus a $100 million matching grant program for states.

Mr. Kummant said in testimony before Congress earlier this year that the Bush administration’s proposal would result in widespread service cutbacks nationwide.

The House Appropriations Committee has approved a $1.4 billion budget for Amtrak for fiscal 2008. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved $1.37 billion.

The report of record ridership could help win more support in Congress, Mr. Black said.

“When Amtrak can demonstrate that it is a relevant major player in the national transportation mix, it couldn’t help but further our cause with lawmakers,” he said.

Amtrak’s ticket sales rose 11 percent to $1.5 billion as revenue reached $2.2 billion.