WASHINGTON — Highlights of the proposal the Amtrak Reform Council sent to Congress on Thursday from a wire service:
–Amtrak and the National Railroad Passenger Corp., currently the same entity, would be split, and the corporation would oversee a transition of train operations to the private sector.
During a transition period of two to five years:
–Train operations would be handled by a subsidiary with an organizational structure like Amtrak’s.
–Another subsidiary would own, operate and maintain the tracks, property and stations Amtrak now owns in the Boston-Washington Northeast Corridor.
–The corporation would have the authority to franchise out one Amtrak route as a pilot project, through competitive bidding. The winning bidder would have to hire Amtrak employees, by seniority, and respect Amtrak’s existing collective bargaining agreements.
–The federal government would continue to subsidize the operations of long-haul, overnight trains.
After the transition period:
–Passenger routes would be subject to franchising by competitive bids.
–States developing high-speed corridors or subsidizing lower-speed trains would have the right to manage the franchising process for those routes.
–Mail and express operations would be franchised through competitive bidding as a single unit or as parts of passenger operation franchises.
–The federal government would continue to subsidize long-haul, overnight trains. Those train routes also could be franchised; winning bidders would be the ones requiring the smallest subsidies.
–States would begin to cover any losses associated with existing and new service in short-haul corridors.
–The operating company created as part of the transition could be privatized.