Editor’s Note: The editorial comments at the bottom of the article below offer a rare interpretation of “corporate doublespeak.” – CorridorRail.com Editor
By William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief, Railway Age Magazine; November 16, 2018
In the midst of controversy surrounding scale-backs in meal services; widely held beliefs that current management is targeting long-distance trains for elimination, or at the very least, truncation; and accusations of questionable accounting methods, Amtrak on Nov. 16 announced preliminary “record revenue and earnings” for its fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2018. “Strong management and improved product delivery and customer service led the company to its best operating performance in company history, despite challenges during the year,” Amtrak said. 
Preliminary results for FY2018 show an unaudited, adjusted operating loss of $168.0 million, “the best Amtrak operating performance to date, improved 13.3% over FY 2017’s total [operating loss] of $193.7 million”; ridership of 31.7 million customer trips, “steady year-over-year, with growth offset by reductions due to service disruptions”; unaudited, adjusted total revenue of $3.38 billion, an increase of 2.2% over FY2017; and capital investment (excluding milestone payments and other third-party contributions) of $1.46 billion, “the highest level of capital investment in recent Amtrak history.”
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