While the recent Railway Age commentary from Rail Passengers Association President and CEO James Mathews criticizes Amtrak’s workforce adjustments, it also misses a critical truth. We are making difficult but necessary decisions to adapt and ensure long-term success. Our record ridership growth and significant infrastructure progress are not the signs of a company in retreat. They’re evidence of an organization positioning itself for lasting growth.
The assertion that Amtrak is abandoning its mission ignores our need for strategic prioritization so that we can ensure major initiatives move forward with quality and accountability. We made workforce reductions with careful attention to preserving project delivery, and we did everything we could to do the right thing and treat everyone involved with dignity, respect and care. Suggesting that we are only prioritizing profitability misunderstands our broader goal—our responsibility to use our limited funds wisely and ensure that we deliver critical projects and quality service.
Impacted employees largely worked in areas that had expanded to support pandemic recovery—like Human Resources and Recruiting—where we increased staffing to hire and train more than 3,000 new employees per year. We also readjusted capital investment efforts after expanding Capital Delivery, Planning, and Procurement to support IIJA (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021) activity and the uncertainty surrounding ongoing funding. Making these hard calls today allows us to build a strong foundation so future generations can ride the train.
No organization, public or private, can responsibly manage multi-billion-dollar programs without adjusting course as conditions change. Had Amtrak ignored these financial risks, it would be placing its very future in jeopardy.
Rather than condemning our steps, we should recognize them for what they are: a commitment to delivering better, more resilient service to Americans for decades to come without negatively impacting today’s customers.
