March 19, 2025 - TRA Newswire -

Stephen Gardner, CEO of Amtrak, announced that he was stepping down from the leadership role of the passenger rail carrier, effective immediately. 

Garden had held that role after more than four years at the helm and said "I am stepping down as CEO to ensure that Amtrak continues to enjoy the full faith and confidence of this administration. 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."

A story from Reuters cited a White House official who said Gardner had been asked to step down. An Amtrak spokesperson declined to comment. Advisor to President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, mentioned earlier in March that he thought Amtrak could be privatized. Musk is advising the administration on shrinking the bloated federal bureaucracy.

"I would be careful in how you would approach privatizing a public entity," according to Texas Rail Advocates President Peter LeCody. "Amtrak is more of a public service lifeline to many smaller cities and towns that have few to no other surface or air transportation options across the country. The U.K. privatized their rail system in the mid-90's but most all of the operators bailed out within a 20 year period and the government stepped back in to run the trains."

Gardner went on to say "We did a lot together to make Amtrak safer, more modern, and a better travel experience for all our customers. 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."

The Amtrak Board of Directors issued this statement: "As Stephen departs today, we thank him for his 16 years of service to Amtrak. We will build on his accomplishments and wish him every success. We look forward to working with President Trump and Secretary Duffy as we build the world-class passenger rail system this country deserves." 

Ridership in 2024 topped pre-pandemic numbers dating back to 2019, even with fewer seats for passengers.  Nationally, ridership increased 15% over 2023 with a record 32.8 million trips for the 12 months ending in September. Revenue hit $2.5 billion, a 9% increase. Amtrak reported a net operating loss of $705 million, but that was down 9% compared to 2023. 

Despite having fewer coaches and sleeping cars available for service, Amtrak's Texas Eagle service increased in ridership and revenue for the fiscal year that ended October 31st. (December 9 TRA story).

The Heartland Flyer, a partnered service of the Texas and Oklahoma Department of Transportation carried an additional 8,000 passengers on the one daily round trip from Fort Worth to Oklahoma City.

Ticket revenue was up 7% on the daily Texas Eagle that serves cities from San Antonio and Austin north to Fort Worth-Dallas, East Texas and points north to Chicago. Ridership also took an upswing of 11% comparing 2023 to 2024. Comparing pre-pandemic 2019 to 2024, passengers paid more per ticket and that drove up revenue on the Texas Eagle by 18%.

The long distance train ended up as one of the bright stars in revenue despite the fact that a second sleeping car and a third coach car were cut due to equipment shortages. It was only just recently that a Sightseer lounge car returned to the daily consist after an absence of some five years, cut along with other equipment during the administration of Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson.