The CEO of Amtrak introduced Wednesday that he’s stepping down after billionaire Elon Musk recommended privatizing Amtrak and criticized the nationwide rail service as “a sad situation.”
“I am stepping down as CEO to ensure that Amtrak continues to enjoy the full faith and confidence of this administration,” Stephen Gardner stated in a press release. “I am so proud of what the Amtrak team has accomplished to bring passenger rail service to more people and places across the country over these past 16 years, and I thank the Board for their trust and support.”
“We did a lot together to make Amtrak safer, more modern, and a better travel experience for all our customers,” Gardner added. “From my start as an Amtrak intern back in the 1990s to ending as CEO, it has been my honor and privilege to lead this great American company, and I wish Amtrak every success. See you on the rails.”
Throughout a March 5 digital look at a Morgan Stanley know-how convention, Musk, who leads the non-Cupboard degree Division of Authorities Effectivity, which goals to chop authorities spending, stated the federal government ought to “privatize everything we possibly can.” Musk reportedly stated the federal government is “in much worse shape than any commercial company could ever be,” including, “I think logically we should privatize anything that can reasonably be privatized.”
In accordance with NBC Information, Musk stated that privatizing Amtrak, which was based in 1971 and receives state and federal subsidies, would give it a “chance of going bankrupt,” guaranteeing “a feedback loop for improvement.”
Anna Moneymaker through Getty Photographs
After Musk’s remarks on the know-how convention, Amtrak revealed a doc on its web site that acknowledged, “It is not clear what problem Amtrak privatization proposals are intended to solve” and “despite inadequate federal funding” since its inception, “Amtrak has achieved notable success.”
The doc additionally stated that if Amtrak had been privatized, it “would face the same constraints,” however would lack the “essential statutory right to operate over the national rail network.”
Amtrak additionally provided Britain for example, writing within the doc that in 1994, Britain’s practice operations went non-public after which later backtracked after 42 folks died due to the “negligence of the private infrastructure owner.”
In a press release on Wednesday, Amtrak’s board thanked Gardner for his work and stated its members “look forward” to working with Trump and Sean Duffy, the secretary of transportation, on constructing a “world-class passenger rail system this country deserves.”
Go Advert-Free — And Defend The Free Press
Already contributed? Log in to cover these messages.
Trump has additionally recommended privatizing the U.S. Postal Service, and in March, Musk known as Social Safety a “Ponzi scheme” that needs to be privatized.
Through the know-how convention, Musk criticized Amtrak, saying, “If you’re coming from another country, please don’t use our national rail. It can leave you with a very bad impression of America.”
