'Critics Fear Amtrak Is Using Pandemic to Cut Service That Won’t Return' diff viewer (0/1)

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Critics Fear Amtrak Is Using Pandemic to Cut Service That Won’t Return	Critics Fear Amtrak Is Using Pandemic to Cut Service That Won’t Return
2020-07-03 23:06:28 UTC	2020-07-15 19:16:27 UTC (12 days later)
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has long wanted to cut back on long-distance train routes that span America’s heartland, but political pressure from Congress made it next to impossible.	WASHINGTON — Amtrak has long wanted to cut back on long-distance train routes that span America’s heartland, but political pressure from Congress made it next to impossible.
Then came the coronavirus.	Then came the coronavirus.
Since March, the pandemic has killed over 128,000 Americans and exacted a higher financial toll on the transportation industry than the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Amtrak has not been spared, with an internal analysis showing a 95 percent drop in ridership, and revenue projected to fall by 50 percent in 2021.	Since March, the pandemic has killed over 128,000 Americans and exacted a higher financial toll on the transportation industry than the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Amtrak has not been spared, with an internal analysis showing a 95 percent drop in ridership, and revenue projected to fall by 50 percent in 2021.
In an effort to stay afloat, the rail agency announced last month it would cut up to 20 percent of its work force by October. It also will suspend daily service on long-distance train routes that service over 220 communities across the country, according to industry experts who analyzed the effect of proposed cuts to national train routes when the Trump administration tried to gut the service in 2019.	In an effort to stay afloat, the rail agency announced last month it would cut up to 20 percent of its work force by October. It also will suspend daily service on long-distance train routes that service over 220 communities across the country, according to industry experts who analyzed the effect of proposed cuts to national train routes when the Trump administration tried to gut the service in 2019.
The moves have been met with intense skepticism, and even anger.	The moves have been met with intense skepticism, and even anger.
Amtrak received letters from 16 senators last week asking why it needed to enact such steep cuts since it had already received $1 billion in emergency aid. The agency had also requested nearly $1.5 billion in additional funding on top of its standard $2 billion budget request for 2021.	Amtrak received letters from 16 senators last week asking why it needed to enact such steep cuts since it had already received $1 billion in emergency aid. The agency had also requested nearly $1.5 billion in additional funding on top of its standard $2 billion budget request for 2021.
“We are deeply concerned by the downsizing plan,” a bipartisan coalition of seven senators, led by Steve Daines, Republican of Montana, said in its letter to Amtrak. “These cuts would not only dramatically reduce the utility of the nation’s passenger rail network, but would also ignore congressional intent to expedite economic recovery following the pandemic.”	“We are deeply concerned by the downsizing plan,” a bipartisan coalition of seven senators, led by Steve Daines, Republican of Montana, said in its letter to Amtrak. “These cuts would not only dramatically reduce the utility of the nation’s passenger rail network, but would also ignore congressional intent to expedite economic recovery following the pandemic.”
Critics argue Amtrak’s cutbacks are not a surprise, and fall in line with the agency’s recent desires to prioritize profitability and the reduction of long-distance routes. The rail agency receives federal funds but is independently run.	Critics argue Amtrak’s cutbacks are not a surprise, and fall in line with the agency’s recent desires to prioritize profitability and the reduction of long-distance routes. The rail agency receives federal funds but is independently run.
“I fear that the Covid-19 pandemic is convenient reasoning to do that which Amtrak, over the past several years, has determined to do,” said John Robert Smith, a former chairman of Amtrak’s board, “and that is to dismantle the national system.”	“I fear that the Covid-19 pandemic is convenient reasoning to do that which Amtrak, over the past several years, has determined to do,” said John Robert Smith, a former chairman of Amtrak’s board, “and that is to dismantle the national system.”
A spokesman for Amtrak, Jason Abrams, said in a statement that the agency was cutting back service “to better align our service with demand” during the pandemic.	A spokesman for Amtrak, Jason Abrams, said in a statement that the agency was cutting back service “to better align our service with demand” during the pandemic.
“We are fully committed to returning this service when demand returns and with adequate funding,” he said, adding: “Amtrak is adjusting its work force to better match this reduced demand. As a first step, we are offering employees a voluntary incentive package.”	“We are fully committed to returning this service when demand returns and with adequate funding,” he said, adding: “Amtrak is adjusting its work force to better match this reduced demand. As a first step, we are offering employees a voluntary incentive package.”
Supporters of continued rail service say Amtrak’s decision will be particularly damaging to small communities where the train provides an economic lifeline and may be the only transit option available to residents.	Supporters of continued rail service say Amtrak’s decision will be particularly damaging to small communities where the train provides an economic lifeline and may be the only transit option available to residents.
They also point out that ridership on long-distance routes in May dropped by 78 percent compared with the same period last year, while ridership on shorter routes fell more than 90 percent.	They also point out that ridership on long-distance routes in May dropped by 78 percent compared with the same period last year, while ridership on shorter routes fell more than 90 percent.
“A lot of people can’t fly, they just can’t get on the plane,” said Sean Jeans-Gail, the vice president at the Rail Passengers Association. “Amtrak is the only way they can get around. Those users of the system have a right to be very concerned.”	“A lot of people can’t fly, they just can’t get on the plane,” said Sean Jeans-Gail, the vice president at the Rail Passengers Association. “Amtrak is the only way they can get around. Those users of the system have a right to be very concerned.”
On Monday, the rail agency will reduce service from New York to Miami to four days a week rather than each day. Up to 20 percent of the work force, or nearly 4,000 employees, could be let go by October. Most of the network’s 15 long-distance train routes will see daily service cut to three days a week starting in the fall. Even Amtrak’s busiest route in the Northeast Corridor will have fewer trains serving passengers every day.	On Monday, the rail agency will reduce service from New York to Miami to four days a week rather than each day. Up to 20 percent of the work force, or nearly 4,000 employees, could be let go by October. Most of the network’s 15 long-distance train routes will see daily service cut to three days a week starting in the fall. Even Amtrak’s busiest route in the Northeast Corridor will have fewer trains serving passengers every day.
Amtrak is prepared to cut its operating costs by $500 million in its 2021 fiscal year, which starts in October, anticipating ridership will not return to prepandemic levels because of “changed behaviors, such as increased telework and reduced discretionary income,” according to a letter William J. Flynn, Amtrak’s new chief executive, wrote to Congress in May.	Amtrak is prepared to cut its operating costs by $500 million in its 2021 fiscal year, which starts in October, anticipating ridership will not return to prepandemic levels because of “changed behaviors, such as increased telework and reduced discretionary income,” according to a letter William J. Flynn, Amtrak’s new chief executive, wrote to Congress in May.
But the agency recognizes that the future is hard to predict.	But the agency recognizes that the future is hard to predict.
“Generating estimates of future demand is incredibly challenging, given the unprecedented nature of our current circumstances and the unknowable trajectory of the pandemic,” Mr. Flynn wrote. “Most demand predictions anticipate a second wave of Covid-19 impacts in the fall, and that further complicates any forecast.”	“Generating estimates of future demand is incredibly challenging, given the unprecedented nature of our current circumstances and the unknowable trajectory of the pandemic,” Mr. Flynn wrote. “Most demand predictions anticipate a second wave of Covid-19 impacts in the fall, and that further complicates any forecast.”
Many in Congress are skeptical, and are asking the rail agency to provide stronger proof that such drastic action is needed even with significant emergency funding from Congress.	Many in Congress are skeptical, and are asking the rail agency to provide stronger proof that such drastic action is needed even with significant emergency funding from Congress.
“We would like to ensure that reductions in frequencies for long-distance routes do not unnecessarily extend beyond the Covid-19 crisis,” a group of five Republican senators, led by Roger Wicker of Mississippi, wrote last week in a letter obtained by The New York Times. “What data is Amtrak using to justify reductions in service for all of fiscal year 2021?”	“We would like to ensure that reductions in frequencies for long-distance routes do not unnecessarily extend beyond the Covid-19 crisis,” a group of five Republican senators, led by Roger Wicker of Mississippi, wrote last week in a letter obtained by The New York Times. “What data is Amtrak using to justify reductions in service for all of fiscal year 2021?”
Since Amtrak was created in 1971 by Congress to be the nation’s rail operator, it has lost money. Federal subsidies and payments from states have allowed the network to remain operational, and it has become an integral mode of transport in corridors like the Northeast and Southern California.	Since Amtrak was created in 1971 by Congress to be the nation’s rail operator, it has lost money. Federal subsidies and payments from states have allowed the network to remain operational, and it has become an integral mode of transport in corridors like the Northeast and Southern California.
	Updated July 15, 2020
	The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization.
	Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
	Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles.
	A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.
	The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.
	The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.
	So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
	Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
	A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
	If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
	If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
In 2017, Amtrak’s board hired Richard Anderson, a former chief executive of Delta Air Lines, to take the reins of the rail network and make it profitable and more reliable. His three-year contract recently expired, but he will remain on staff for the remainder of 2020 as a senior adviser to Mr. Flynn.	In 2017, Amtrak’s board hired Richard Anderson, a former chief executive of Delta Air Lines, to take the reins of the rail network and make it profitable and more reliable. His three-year contract recently expired, but he will remain on staff for the remainder of 2020 as a senior adviser to Mr. Flynn.
Mr. Anderson took his charge from the board seriously, and embarked on a mission to trim the work force and improve shorter-haul, more trafficked routes in corridors like the Northeast, while scaling back support for longer-haul and less popular routes that run across parts of America’s Southern, mountain and Western regions.	Mr. Anderson took his charge from the board seriously, and embarked on a mission to trim the work force and improve shorter-haul, more trafficked routes in corridors like the Northeast, while scaling back support for longer-haul and less popular routes that run across parts of America’s Southern, mountain and Western regions.
“We should be looking at breaking up some of those long-distance trains,” Mr. Anderson said last year at a Senate hearing, “and figuring out how we serve the American consumer to provide high-quality service in short-haul markets.”	“We should be looking at breaking up some of those long-distance trains,” Mr. Anderson said last year at a Senate hearing, “and figuring out how we serve the American consumer to provide high-quality service in short-haul markets.”
In 2018, he decided to close an Amtrak reservation call center in California, and told 500 employees they could keep their jobs if they moved to Philadelphia — where the positions were being relocated — in 60 days. Around 100 took the offer, according to the Transportation Communications Union.	In 2018, he decided to close an Amtrak reservation call center in California, and told 500 employees they could keep their jobs if they moved to Philadelphia — where the positions were being relocated — in 60 days. Around 100 took the offer, according to the Transportation Communications Union.
The same year, Mr. Anderson tried to significantly cut long-distance service along a 2,200 mile route which stretches from Chicago to Los Angeles, and replace the portion from Kansas to New Mexico with bus service. Amtrak abandoned its plans after receiving fierce blowback from members of Congress.	The same year, Mr. Anderson tried to significantly cut long-distance service along a 2,200 mile route which stretches from Chicago to Los Angeles, and replace the portion from Kansas to New Mexico with bus service. Amtrak abandoned its plans after receiving fierce blowback from members of Congress.