July 7, 2017 - Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Gordon Dickson -

Amtrak’s incoming boss has Texas ties, but can he save long-distance passenger rail service in the state?

Richard Anderson, 62, a veteran airline executive who most recently ran Delta Air Lines, will take the helm of Amtrak — the nation’s only coast-to-coast passenger rail service — on July 12. He arrives at a time when its long-distance trains are once again on the proverbial chopping block.

This spring, the Trump administration unveiled a proposed budget that boasted a $1 trillion infrastructure investment, but also $2.4 billion in cuts to aviation, rail, transit and other mobility projects. The rail cuts would include elimination of Amtrak long-distance routes such as the Texas Eagle, which serves Fort Worth daily with trains running north to Chicago and south to San Antonio.

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