New Amtrak chief has ideas but no details

[Bluewaterfan]

CAPITOL HILL He's been working on the railroad -- but not quite long enough to figure out how to fix it.

Amtrak's new president went to Capitol Hill today to answer questions from a House panel. Alexander Kummant only started his job two weeks ago, and he's telling lawmakers he's "just beginning to understand" how Amtrak is structured.

Kummant says he has a few goals. They include making improvements to the infrastructure along the busy Northeast Corridor, between Boston and Washington. He also wants to find more efficient ways to run Amtrak's long-distance trains.

But Kummant stopped short of telling Congress how he'd do those things, which left some lawmakers frustrated.

In the 35 years since it was formed from several defunct railroads, Amtrak has never shown a profit. It's now more than three and a-half (b) billion dollars in debt.


Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

http://www.wnem.com/Global/story.asp?S=5471014

[sd70accsxt700]

1. It wasent formed from several defunct railroads! That was Conrail.

2. HELLO there isint a single passenger railroad in the world, that makes a profit, without some kind of funding!

[patrick]

ahahahahhaha matt.. too funny.