Audits

On July 22, we issued a report on cutting costs in Amtrak’s long-distance service without eliminating any routes, frequencies, or station stops. While sleeper class generates greater revenue per passenger than coach class, the costs associated with that revenue far exceed the revenue itself. Our analysis shows that eliminating sleeper cars, dining cars, entertainment, lounge seating, checked baggage service, and food and beverage service on Amtrak’s long-distance routes could save between $375 million and $790 million in operating savings and $395 million in avoidable planned capital expenditures over 5 years.