Amtrak’s Bill Flynn And Stephen Gardner

Recently installed Amtrak President and CEO Bill Flynn and Senior
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating and Commercial Officer
Stephen Gardner discuss the company’s role as a provider of
national passenger rail service with Editor-in-Chief William C.
Vantuono. What is their long-term vision for Amtrak? What role do
they see intercity passenger rail playing in the national
transportation network? What is Amtrak’s plan for long-distance
trains? For short- to medium distance corridor services? Is Amtrak
truly bound by politics, as is widely perceived? What is the
solution to the problem of having to request funding from Congress
every year? Is it fair to characterize Amtrak, as some critics have
said, as a “monopoly”? Flynn and Gardner talk candidly about these
and other issues as Amtrak approaches its 50th year.