It remains to be seen what, if any, changes will result from the installation of William Flynn as Amtrak’s next president and CEO next month.
Like the lumbering Boeing 747s that Flynn’s soon to be former company Atlas Air flies in cargo service, Amtrak is not something that can be turned around quickly or rapidly raced upward to cruising altitude after takeoff.
No doubt some rail passenger advocates are happy to see Richard Anderson leave although he’ll continue as an adviser to Flynn through the end of the year.
Anderson at times showed an abrasive personality that made him a lightning rod of criticism.
Perhaps that was what the Amtrak board of directors thought was needed in 2018 but it may have decided that in 2020 a kinder, gentler CEO is needed.
The news release announcing Flynn’s hiring contained the type of laudatory language that is standard in public relations products announcing personnel changes.
There were a lot of words that didn’t say much of substance.
It gave little indication about what role Flynn sees for Amtrak as a transportation provider.
The release tried to portray Flynn’s hiring as a planned succession although that might be boilerplate language that means little.
Anderson’s leaving had been foreshadowed in a Wall Street Journal article earlier this year yet the Amtrak board of directors had not given any public signals that Anderson’s departure was imminent.
Nor has the Amtrak board in public expressed any concerns or discontent with how Anderson has managed the passenger carrier.
The news release and a statement sent to Amtrak employees were filled with the type of self-congratulatory statements about how ridership is up and finances have improved.
Amtrak has hinted at breaking even this year on an operating basis which should be not confused with making a profit, something that has never happened in the company’s 48-year history.
More than likely Flynn was hired because of his executive experience rather than his views of the role of rail passenger service in the United States.
If asked, he’ll say all the right things about how the future of rail service is bright.
But I would be surprised if Flynn’s hiring means that certain things that have been lost during the Anderson regime, such as full service dining cars on the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited, will make a comeback.
Don’t expect the new rules Amtrak just implemented to make it tougher to get refunds or change your travel plans to go away.
Private car owners and those wishing to charter an Amtrak train probably won’t see significant changes in Amtrak rules and policies.
In short, I don’t look for Flynn to herald the second coming of W. Graham Claytor Jr.
It may be that Amtrak’s directors decided Anderson had become too toxic on Capitol Hill to win the type of budgetary and policy victories that Amtrak is eyeing.
The passenger carrier has an ambitious legislative agenda that is tied in with a new surface transportation bill that Congress needs to pass to replace the one that expires on Sept. 30.
Among other things, Amtrak wants funding to establish new corridor-oriented services, laws that would gives it a stronger position when talking with his host railroads about on-time performance, and capital funding for new equipment and infrastructure.
There had been speculation earlier that Anderson’s replacement would be current Amtrak senior vice president Stephen Gardner.
Instead, Amtrak’s board hired another airline executive. Flynn has four decades of transportation industry experience but it is worth noting that he has spent his career in the private sector.
Such Amtrak heads as David Gunn and Joseph Boardman had experience in the public sector.
Amtrak may on paper be akin to a private company, but given its reliance on public funding it has much in common with a non-profit agency even if it tries to operate like a private company.
Ultimately, what is important is that Amtrak’s CEO understands not just how railroads operate but how to play the political games inherent in being an entity that has two boards of directors – the one that hired you and the members of Congress who control your funding and so much about the environment in which your company operates.
Tags: Amtrak, Amtrak CEO, commenaries on transportation, on transportation, Posts on transportation, Richard Anderson, William Flynn
This entry was posted on March 2, 2020 at 7:54 pm and is filed under Commentaries. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Amtrak in the Heartland
Flynn’s Success Will Hinge on His Political Skills
It remains to be seen what, if any, changes will result from the installation of William Flynn as Amtrak’s next president and CEO next month.
No doubt some rail passenger advocates are happy to see Richard Anderson leave although he’ll continue as an adviser to Flynn through the end of the year.
Anderson at times showed an abrasive personality that made him a lightning rod of criticism.
Perhaps that was what the Amtrak board of directors thought was needed in 2018 but it may have decided that in 2020 a kinder, gentler CEO is needed.
The news release announcing Flynn’s hiring contained the type of laudatory language that is standard in public relations products announcing personnel changes.
There were a lot of words that didn’t say much of substance.
It gave little indication about what role Flynn sees for Amtrak as a transportation provider.
The release tried to portray Flynn’s hiring as a planned succession although that might be boilerplate language that means little.
Anderson’s leaving had been foreshadowed in a Wall Street Journal article earlier this year yet the Amtrak board of directors had not given any public signals that Anderson’s departure was imminent.
Nor has the Amtrak board in public expressed any concerns or discontent with how Anderson has managed the passenger carrier.
The news release and a statement sent to Amtrak employees were filled with the type of self-congratulatory statements about how ridership is up and finances have improved.
Amtrak has hinted at breaking even this year on an operating basis which should be not confused with making a profit, something that has never happened in the company’s 48-year history.
More than likely Flynn was hired because of his executive experience rather than his views of the role of rail passenger service in the United States.
If asked, he’ll say all the right things about how the future of rail service is bright.
But I would be surprised if Flynn’s hiring means that certain things that have been lost during the Anderson regime, such as full service dining cars on the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited, will make a comeback.
Don’t expect the new rules Amtrak just implemented to make it tougher to get refunds or change your travel plans to go away.
Private car owners and those wishing to charter an Amtrak train probably won’t see significant changes in Amtrak rules and policies.
In short, I don’t look for Flynn to herald the second coming of W. Graham Claytor Jr.
It may be that Amtrak’s directors decided Anderson had become too toxic on Capitol Hill to win the type of budgetary and policy victories that Amtrak is eyeing.
The passenger carrier has an ambitious legislative agenda that is tied in with a new surface transportation bill that Congress needs to pass to replace the one that expires on Sept. 30.
Among other things, Amtrak wants funding to establish new corridor-oriented services, laws that would gives it a stronger position when talking with his host railroads about on-time performance, and capital funding for new equipment and infrastructure.
There had been speculation earlier that Anderson’s replacement would be current Amtrak senior vice president Stephen Gardner.
Instead, Amtrak’s board hired another airline executive. Flynn has four decades of transportation industry experience but it is worth noting that he has spent his career in the private sector.
Such Amtrak heads as David Gunn and Joseph Boardman had experience in the public sector.
Amtrak may on paper be akin to a private company, but given its reliance on public funding it has much in common with a non-profit agency even if it tries to operate like a private company.
Ultimately, what is important is that Amtrak’s CEO understands not just how railroads operate but how to play the political games inherent in being an entity that has two boards of directors – the one that hired you and the members of Congress who control your funding and so much about the environment in which your company operates.
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Tags: Amtrak, Amtrak CEO, commenaries on transportation, on transportation, Posts on transportation, Richard Anderson, William Flynn
This entry was posted on March 2, 2020 at 7:54 pm and is filed under Commentaries. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.