What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of a “Child-Free”Lifestyle

Amtrak Long Distance Trains FY 2008 Long-Distance Train Facts A long distance guide typically consists of sleepers, coaches, a diner and/or a lounge car. long distance trains travel as far as 2,800 miles and pass through as many an different(prenominal) as 12 states. Amtrak operates 15 long distance call trains over 18,500 way miles serving 39 states and the District of Columbia. These trains provide the exclusively rail rider dish out to 23 states. In FY 2008 these trains carried 4. 2 million passengers accounting for 2. zillion passenger miles42% of Amtraks totaland produced ticket revenues of $415 million. The average long distance train passenger traveled 626 miles in FY08. Long-distance trains run normally on tracks owned and maintained by private freight railroads. These trains ar non the big money-losers that they atomic number 18 often portrayed to be exclusively about $ccc million annually would be saved if they were eliminated, and only after(pre nominal) a five-year period. Background InformationAmtraks long-distance trains provide an requisite superman service for many communities and to a significant percentage of the general public. Many long-distance trains serve small communities with limited or no significant nisus or bus service, especially in contrary or isolated areas in the United States. As a end of airline deregulation and decisions by national bus carriers to exit many communities, rail transportation may provide the only feasible earthy carrier transportation option for a growing number of areas. If long-distance trains were eliminated, 23 states and 243 communities would be left with no intercity passenger rail service and 18 other states would lose some service. No state or private operator has picked up a long-distance route that Amtrak has eliminated. Amtrak giving medication personal business February 2009 Amtrak Long Distance Trains FY 2008 Importance of the Long-Distance Trains The route crosswi se the northern tier of states, the Empire constructor, with 554,000 passengers in 2008, is the only public transportation service in many communities in North Dakota, Montana and easterly Washington.For most of the states along the Empire Builder, tourism serves as a major economic engine. A recent study identifying the economic contri andions of the Empire Builder showed nearly $14 million in annual economic benefits in Montana alone. 2 Long-distance trains also provide transportation during periods Amtraks California Zephyr follows the of severe weather or emergencies that stall other modes of same route over Donner Pass as the nations first transcontinental railroad. transportation.This was demonstrated after the September 11 terrorist attacks that grounded air travel. Additionally, these trains provide a strong economic benefit for the states and communities that they serve. The majority of passengers on the long-distance trains do not travel between the endpoints, but earli er to any combination of city pairs. For example, the Southwest Chief, which travels from Chicago to Los Angeles via Kansas City, has 33 stops, creating 528 workable trip combinations.Measuring Financial Performance of Long-Distance Trains Most of Amtraks expenditures are due to the immense capital needs of its infrastructure, particularly the Northeast Corridor, not the operating cost of the long-distance trains. These operating cost figures should be cited with caution. Critics often refer to the exit per passenger of the longdistance trains. However, each long-distance train passenger is the equivalent of five short distance train passengers because of the greater distances traveled.More importantly, these loss per passenger figures often include not only the avoidable costs of operating individual long-distance trains (such as the cost of diesel fuel) but all of the shared costs that Amtrak incurs for the benefit of both long-distance and corridor trains (such as the cost of m echanical facilities, Amtraks computer systems, and stations like Los Angeles confederation Station). Including shared costs produces inflated and misleading loss figures, since these costs will not go away if long-distance trains are eliminated. Eliminating all long-distance trains would produce negligible cost nest egg in the first some ears because Amtrak must pay sedulousness protection to impacted employees. When these payments end after five years, the savings would still be minimalaround $300 million annually, or about a quarter of Amtraks annual appropriation in recent years. Eliminating individual trains produces even fewer savingsmost of the shared costs of Amtraks long-distance network would remain. Additionally, Amtrak continues to assume changes to its long-distance trains that will improve revenue and finances for the system. Amtrak exited from the mail and extend business in 2004, resulting in shorter and more convenient schedules, with reduced labor costs.The r epair of wreck-damaged equipment continues and will allow Amtrak to increase capacity, and therefore revenues, on long-distance trains, which often sell out. Amtrak began a Simplified Dining Service on most long-distance trains in early 2006. These changes will help that reduce the losses of long-distance trains. 1 Intercity Passenger Rail transportation AASHTO, 2002. 2 Analysis of the Economic Benefits of the Empire Builder, R. L. Banks & Associates http//www. mdt. state. mt. us/tranplan/docs/empire_builder. pdf Amtrak Government Affairs February 2009