AMTRAK'S INCENTIVE CONTRACTS WITH RAILROADS -- CONSIDERABLE COST, FEW BENEFITS

Since 1974 under its performance incentive contracts with 10 railroads, Amtrak has spent $32.6 million to improve on-time performance and $1.5 million to improve quality of maintenance. On-time has improved mainly because of a more liberal definition and because of lengthened schedules and not because of the incentives. Incentives have had virtually no effect on improving the quality of equipment maintenance. While new contracts have changed the threshold for incentives, it is contended that there is still insufficient incentive for railroads to adhere to schedules or improve the quality of train servicing and maintenance.

• Corporate Authors:

  U.S. General Accounting Office

  441 G Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20548
• Publication Date: 1977-6-8

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Tables;
• Pagination: 72 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Employee compensation; Incentives; Maintenance; On time performance; Passenger cars; Passenger service; Passenger trains; Passengers; Quality control; Quality of work; Traffic delays; Train operations; Transportation operations; Vehicle maintenance
• Identifier Terms: Amtrak
• Uncontrolled Terms: Train delays
• Old TRIS Terms: Passenger car servicing; Passenger operations
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Maintenance and Preservation; Passenger Transportation; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00164443
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: GAO-CED-77-67 Cong. Rpt.
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 9 2003 12:00AM