“Amtrak workers provide an essential service to travelers and communities. These workers deserve better from Amtrak leadership.”In a statement, an Amtrak spokeswoman said the job cuts were necessary because the rail agency was experiencing “slow recovery of ridership and revenue” from the pandemic. Since March, ridership on Amtrak has fallen by 95 percent, and projected revenue for 2021 has declined by 50 percent. In response, Congress has bailed out the rail network with nearly $1 billion in emergency funds. The agency’s request for an additional $1.4 billion is on top of its standard $2 billion budget request for 2021.

Source: New York Times September 02, 2020 21:20 UTC