Amtrak privatization

Amtrak CEO Resigns Amidst Concerns of Political Interference

Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner resigned, citing a need to maintain the administration’s confidence amid calls for privatization from Elon Musk. This follows Musk’s assertion that Amtrak’s financial performance is unacceptable and requires privatization to improve. Despite record ridership and ticket revenue in fiscal year 2024, Amtrak remains unprofitable, a situation it attributes to insufficient federal funding and mandated long-distance service. Amtrak’s board expressed its commitment to working with the current administration to build a better passenger rail system.

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Musk Calls for USPS and Amtrak Privatization: A Controversial Proposal

During a Morgan Stanley conference, Elon Musk advocated for the privatization of both Amtrak and the USPS, citing the inadequacy of America’s passenger rail system compared to other countries. He believes that privatizing these organizations would improve their efficiency, echoing similar sentiments recently expressed by President Trump regarding the USPS. Musk acknowledged the need for congressional approval for such a move, though he offered no concrete plans for achieving privatization. Despite his informal role as de facto leader of the White House’s DOGE, he downplayed his involvement, referring to himself as “tech support.”

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