Amtrak OIG raises red flags

Amtrak’s inspector general says the railroad still cannot clearly show how federal money will shrink a $47 billion repair backlog. (amtrakoig.gov) The April 10 report said Amtrak has improved some repair processes since 2016, but still has weak oversight rules and unreliable asset data. Amtrak set a goal of eliminating its state-of-good-repair backlog by 2040. (amtrakoig.gov; masstransitmag.com) That backlog covers tracks, bridges, tunnels, signals and power systems that are no longer fully up to date. The inspector general said some of Amtrak’s bridges and tunnels are more than 100 years old, and parts of its electrical and signal systems date to the 1930s. (amtrakoig.gov) The timing matters because Amtrak is also pushing ahead with a fleet overhaul. On April 15, the company said it had formally opened bidding for its largest-ever long-distance train order: more than 800 new railcars for 14 routes. (media.amtrak.com) Amtrak changed course on that fleet plan in February 2026, dropping an earlier bi-level approach and moving to a universal single-level long-distance fleet. The railroad said the switch would broaden competition, reduce program risk and keep the first new long-distance cars on track for the early 2030s. (media.amtrak.com) The inspector general’s warning is not about the new cars themselves. It is about whether Amtrak can prove, with clear targets and dependable records, that its repair spending is fixing the infrastructure those trains will depend on. (amtrakoig.gov) The report said Amtrak’s strategy lacks specific objectives and performance metrics. It also said some officials involved in repair work did not know the company had an infrastructure asset management policy, which led to poor coordination between departments. (masstransitmag.com; amtrakoig.gov) The data problems are basic but consequential. The inspector general found assets missing from one of Amtrak’s two main tracking systems, assets listed in records after they were no longer operating, and operating assets that had not yet been added. (masstransitmag.com) That can affect day-to-day operations. The report said inaccurate or incomplete records raise the risk that Amtrak could miss safety-related maintenance on active equipment or spend money maintaining assets that are no longer in service. (masstransitmag.com) Amtrak is trying to modernize on several fronts at once. In fiscal year 2024, it carried a record 32.8 million riders and said it invested a record $4.5 billion in capital upgrades, including new trains, tunnels, bridges and annual state-of-good-repair work. (amtrak.com) The inspector general’s message is narrower than the sales pitch around new trains: replacing 40- to 50-year-old cars is one challenge, and proving the railroad can systematically repair the network underneath them is another. (media.amtrak.com; media.amtrak.com; amtrakoig.gov)