Amtrak is asking the public to weigh in on proposals to reorganize the railroad into three separate subsidiaries, and the deadline is next Friday, October 30.
The proposal would reorganize Amtrak into a parent company -- still controlled as a Federal entity, with the Board and leadership selected by the White House with the “advice and consent” of the Senate -- overseeing three separate subsidiaries responsible for passenger services, infrastructure, and rolling stock.
We’ve written extensively about it this year, and you can click here to see our thoughts.
A change in how America’s passenger railroad would be managed that’s this significant deserves, and is getting, serious scrutiny. Rail Passengers will be submitting our own detailed comments. But we want to encourage you to submit yours, too. As rail supporters, as advocates, and as fare-paying passengers, what you think is incredibly important in this process and you need to be heard.
A word of advice, though, from someone who has spent a lot of time reading, writing, and responding to public comments: the most satisfying comment isn’t necessarily the most effective one. It’s tempting to pound the table, express outrage, or declare that the whole thing is a terrible idea. Or the best idea since sliced bread. That might feel good. But it rarely gives decision-makers anything useful to work with. As a young reporter, I had a wonderful, crusty old Editor-in-Chief who used to tell me (usually through a cloud of cigarette smoke), “Speedy, it’s okay to vent your spleen, just don’t do it in print.”
My advice to you here is to be thoughtful and specific. You don’t need to be a railroad expert, a lawyer, or a policy wonk to make a valuable contribution. A good public comment identifies a concern, explains why it matters, and suggests what should be done about it. Personal experience is certainly welcome, especially when it illustrates a larger problem.
For example, you might be tempted to simply declare that the reorganization will hurt passengers. But instead, maybe you should ask how Amtrak intends to ensure that dividing responsibility among separate companies won’t make it harder to resolve delays, protect connections, or maintain service. If you depend on a long-distance train, explain why preserving that service is important to your community and to you personally, and ask what safeguards will protect it under the new structure if it happens.
And if you think some part of the proposal is a good idea, say so! Explain why. Constructive comments aren’t necessarily negative comments.
Above all, make your own argument in your own words. A few well-reasoned paragraphs can be more persuasive than pages of indignation. In fact, they’re almost universally more effective.
You can review Amtrak’s proposal and submit comments at Amtrak’s Future of Amtrak page. Click here and scroll down a bit.
The deadline is October 30, next Friday. Make sure you’re giving Amtrak something worth listening to.