Amtrak Can't Add More Trains Fast Enough to Meet Demand

02.12.2023 - 00:14 / skift.com / Edward Russell / Stephen Gardner

With billions of dollars to expand passenger rail included in President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, more Amtrak trains are on their way. Just not anytime soon.

“It’s going to take quite some time,” Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said Friday at Amtrak’s annual board meeting. “You’ll start to see some improvements quickly — others will take half a decade, a decade still depending on the size and scope.”

“It’s a really exciting moment for all of us but one that will take patience, perseverance, and continuity,” he continued.

DJ Stadtler, executive director of Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, is counting on them. “If you put the trains in place, people will come,” he said.

After adding one additional train each to Norfolk and Roanoke last year, the state saw post-pandemic rail ridership soar. The number of people riding to Norfolk doubled compared to 2019, and Roanoke numbers jumped nearly 50%. Not shabby for two markets that only have three and two daily trains, respectively.

The story is much the same in North Carolina. The head of the state’s rail division, Jason Orthner, said Friday it forecasts a 20-25% ridership jump next year over the record high in fiscal 2023.

“Folks are really using what we’re calling the starter kit of passenger rail service in North Carolina,” Orthner said, referring to the state’s Piedmont line between Charlotte and Raleigh.

Amtrak estimates it takes at least 3.5 years to implement upgrades to existing corridors and add more frequent trains.

Building entirely new lines — for example, Colorado’s planned Front Range corridor connecting Colorado Springs, Denver, and Fort Collins — will take as many as 12 years.

And that timeline starts only after the federal government awards funds from the infrastructure law. Amtrak Vice President of Nicole Bucich said they expect the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to announce funding awards for new and expanded corridors “soon.”

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included $66 billion for passenger rail, the largest federal investment in U.S. history. Of that funding, $36 billion was allocated to corridor development. While much is expected to go to Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor — the busiest passenger rail line in the U.S. — there are still billions up for grabs for new passenger corridors elsewhere.

The lag is not unique to Amtrak. It took privately-owned Brightline more than a decade to realize its plan of frequent, fast passenger trains between Miami and Orlando. The first section, between Miami and West Palm Beach, opened in 2018, six years after the plans were announced. The second section, to Orlando, opened this September.

Bightline hopes to secure infrastructure law funds for its planned high-speed line between Las