Amtrak faces big cuts by Trump
Memphis, 220 other cities could lose service
From Macomb, Mississippi, to Fulton, Kentucky, and points beyond, cities and towns across the country face loss of rail passenger service if the Trump administration has its way.
The National Association of Rail Passengers says 15 national routes are on the chopping block if Amtrak’s federal funding is slashed, and 220 cities and towns would lose all Amtrak service.
Memphis would say farewell to the City of New Orleans, which connects New Orleans and Chicago and recorded 72,127 boardings at Central Station in 2016. It’s Tennessee’s only national Amtrak route.
The association says Amtrak service to America’s heartland would be decimated if President Trump’s initial budget outline becomes law. National routes including the Empire Builder, Texas Eagle and California Zephyr would be on the hit list.
Congressional critics have advocated privatization of national route operations.
Amtrak service is both an important travel option and a contributor to the economic revitalization of Downtown
Memphis, officials say. Central Station is currently undergoing a $53 million redevelopment including a hotel and movie theater.
Amtrak also reported 3,690 boardings in Newbern-Dyersburg and spending in Tennessee of $5.5 million.
“Your service by the Amtrak City of New Orleans, daily between Memphis and New Orleans or Chicago is among the trains in our National Network that are subject to termination under what was announced,” Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said in an email.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said, “Amtrak’s City of New Orleans has been a part of Memphians’ lives for such a long time. Lots of people have taken that train to NOLA or to Chicago, and it has given even more people the opportunity to visit and fall in love with this city. I would be disappointed to see Amtrak go away.”
The Elvis Presley home Graceland, Beale Street and Memphis music history are big draws for international tourists.
“It would be very disheartening if we lost that service,” Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau chief Kevin Kane said. “For international visitors, that is a very common and comfortable means of transportation. To eliminate that, because we’re such a strong international destination, that would be a real blow.”
Kane said a loss of service would also be felt in and around Central Station, “especially because in the last 20 years the amount of investment there has been to bring the train station back to life and to revive South Main.”
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, said he supports full funding of passenger rail services.
“President Trump’s budget, if implemented, would put Amtrak service in Memphis in jeopardy . ... If Amtrak in Memphis ceased, it would be a huge economic blow to the city,” Cohen said.
Wick Moorman, Amtrak president and chief executive officer, said, “Amtrak is very focused on running efficiently. We covered 94 percent of our total network operating costs through ticket sales and other revenues in FY16, but these services all require federal investment.”