» NARP’s letter to Amtrak Chairman on equipment expansion

The Honorable Thomas Carper
Chairman, Board of Directors
National Railroad Passenger Corporation
60 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Washington, DC 20002

Dear Chairman Carper:

We urge you and the Amtrak board to make growth Amtrak’s top priority. Growth requires a
significant amount of new equipment. Lead times are long. Amtrak must prepare now.

As you will remember, when gas prices topped $4 a gallon in 2008, neither Amtrak nor transit
agencies were prepared. Although double digit increases in volume were common, Amtrak kept
cars stored and cut growth by raising fares. That strategy didn’t serve America’s mobility needs.
Amtrak has a duty to do better in the future. We believe with your leadership it can.

The demand for passenger train service will surge again as the world economy recovers and fuel
costs rise. Reduced trip times, improved on time performance and competitive fares – when
achieved – will also drive demand higher. Amtrak must begin now to acquire the equipment it
will need to add capacity on existing trains, to increase frequencies on current routes, and to add
new routes that will create the interconnected “grid and gateway” system required to make
passenger train service available and attractive in most city pair markets.

We appreciate that Amtrak has made a significant start: the use of Recovery Act funds to restore
most stored cars to service, and the issuance of an RFP for 130 new, single-level long-distance
cars. Unfortunately, the majority of those cars will only replace existing, obsolete equipment but
not expand capacity.

We hope you will agree that what Amtrak has done on equipment so far “is just a first step,” and
that you must do much more if Amtrak is to become a relevant component of America’s
transportation system. Amtrak needs a large, long-term equipment acquisition program. It also
needs a long-term vision for making passenger trains an attractive choice across America.
Equipment and service planning are inextricable.

We urge you to challenge your management team to think boldly, to consider the 85% of
Americans who live outside the Northeast Corridor service area, to articulate a bold vision that
services the entire nation, excites the public imagination, touches the lives of most Americans
and inspires the widespread public support needed to fund it.

The vision can incorporate state initiatives but cannot depend on them. It is inconceivable that
state initiatives could create the NEC from scratch today; it is equally unrealistic to expect states
to plan and fund interstate services in the rest of the nation.

Interstate service is critical to national mobility. More than half (55%) of all intercity trips begin
in one state and end in another. In 35 states, the share of interstate trips is two thirds or greater.
There are only two states - California and Texas – where intrastate travel represents the majority
of trips.

The volume of interstate travel means that most unserved or under-served markets have more in
common with the Northeast Corridor than they do with California. That’s why Amtrak
leadership is so vital. Decades of experience demonstrates the difficulty in getting states to
support interstate services. The difficulties grow exponentially as the number of states increases.
The federal government funds the NEC because the state based strategy won’t work; it has a
similar duty to fund the expansion of interstate services for the rest of the American people.

To illustrate the magnitude of the gap between what we see as future needs and Amtrak’s current
plans, we developed and yesterday publicized (along with our letter to House-Senate
appropriations conferees) an equipment proposal detailing suggested quantities and possible
deployments. This proposal challenges current dogma and pushes existing constraints –
deliberately so.

We offer this proposal as a catalyst, a challenge and a framework for the type of large scale,
long-term equipment acquisition program needed to support carefully planned service
improvements and expansions. We stand ready to help and support you on growth initiatives.

Respectfully,

George L. Chilson
Chairman of the Board

Ross B. Capon
President and CEO

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