Amtrak Reports Revenues Up, Satisfaction Down

By Rail Passengers Staff

One important thing we learned this week from Amtrak’s publicly broadcast Board meeting was that ridership and revenues are both ahead of last year’s results and also beating Amtrak’s Fiscal 2025 plan – but customer-satisfaction scores are taking a beating from a spike in weather-related delays and mechanical issues.

“Host railroad improvements have been offset by Amtrak and third party-caused delays, with a 22% increase in equipment-related delays versus last year,” said Gery Williams, Amtrak’s executive vice president for service delivery and operations, presenting to the Board and quoted in Trains.com’s account of the session.

Jim Short, the acting senior VP of capital delivery, briefed the Board on where Amtrak’s big programs all stand and it struck us as the first comprehensive – if cursory – public summary on the status of Amtrak’s capital spending, which got a big boost from the Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act / Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Through June, Amtrak’s capital projects unit was managing 236 active projects – nine major capital programs, 56 maintenance programs, and 92 improvement projects, with a 54 percent increase in year-over-year capital investment in Fiscal 2025. That’s a bit more than $4 billion year-to-date, $1.4 billion more than last year’s high-water mark of $2.7 billion.

A little less than $1.2 billion of this year’s spending is on bridges and tunnels, as the East River Tunnel project finally got underway. Amtrak has spent so far this fiscal year $947.1 million on state-of-good-repair projects, and just under $684 million in a catch-all “Other” category. In addition, Amtrak has spent $678.3 million on fleet and facilities in Fiscal 25, and $493.6 million on station work and improvements. ADA-related investments were just over $133 million.

Short highlighted work on the East River Tunnel, the B&P tunnel in Baltimore, and the Philadelphia 30th St. Station, as major capital drivers, while Amtrak President Roger Harris closed out the Board brief by announcing that the new Alstom-built Acelas – another major capital procurement project – have passed evaluations by the Federal Railroad Administration to permit the trains to enter revenue service. Harris didn’t offer a firm date during the public meeting on when service might start.

You can read all of the publicly available Board meeting materials by clicking here.