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WASHINGTON - Safety and security lead the areas where Amtrak's management faces its greatest challenges in the 2026 and 2027 fiscal years, the Amtrak Office of Inspector General said in a report released today (Wednesday, July 22).
In all, the report identifies five areas that represent the greatest challenges for management. The others are execution of the company's record level of capital investment; financial management; customer service; and addressing technology.
In the memo from Inspector General Kevin Winters to Amtrak President Roger Harris that accompanies the report, Winters writes that along with advising the company's leadership, "our intent is to help inform discussions about the company's future among Congress, Amtrak's board of directors, the Department of Transportation, the company's state and local partners, and the traveling public."
The safety challenges include addressing train strikes, which accounted for 594 deaths and 279 injuries between fiscal years 2020 and 2023, and also take a significant toll on workers, given that approximately one in five locomotive engineers has been involved in a train-strike incident. While noting that almost all train strikes come at grade crossings the company does not control, the report recommends a risk management process to identify areas of risk.
Other safety risks include employee accidents and injuries, and security at stations and other facilities, and on trains. The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating a February 2026 accident in which an employee was struck and killed by a train while performing snow-removal work [see "NTSB releases preliminary report …," Trains.com, March 26, 2026], and the OIG says it has identified cases where employees worked near live tracks without requesting required protections.
While Amtrak has a 430-member police force, it faces security challenges given the broad footprint of its network and the lack of passenger screenings comparable to those in air travel, the report notes.
Issues highlighted in the other areas include:
Capital investment: Amtrak must improve its management of infrastructure and equipment projects, the report says, noting that the company has made improvements but has not applied them consistently. The OIG more fully addressed issues regarding rolling-stock acquisition in a report earlier this week [see "Amtrak Inspector General report …," Trains.com, July 20, 2026]. In the area of infrastructure, it must both work to improve its governance and program management of major projects such as the Hudson Tunnel, while also establishing a framework for managing state-of-good-repair work for older assets.
The company also must improve coordination with outside partners, where it has a mixed record, the report says, citing ongoing disputes with New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority and difficulties in gaining cooperation to upgrade stations to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Financial management: Amtrak has announced a goal of "operational profitability" by the end of fiscal 2028, but as it sees record ridership and revenue, it currently does not have the rolling stock to meet demand, and what equipment it does have is aging and has reliability issues. Until new rolling stock arrives, the company must balance adding service and maintaining that which exists, the report says, as well as between charging higher ticket prices and providing affordable transportation.
It also must effectively oversee contracts for its capital projects, including the development of a new contract management system; ensure it complies with more complex funding requirements, including federal grant programs; and address widespread instances of fraud, such as those involving health-insurance schemes and a bribery case involving work at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.
Customer service: The company will need to improve on its ongoing issues with on-time performance, which will include addressing the reliability of its aging equipment fleet, minimizing disruptions from its capital projects, and working with host freight railroads. It must also identify areas in which it can more easily make strides in meeting customer expectations, such as cleanliness, WiFi performance, and the quality of onboard food service. Also important, the report says, is the quality of communication with customers and the ongoing effort to make the system fully accessible.
Technology: Amtrak is moving to update a broad range of systems including those addressing financial and project management, asset management, and timekeeping. As it deals with technology updates, it will need to address cybersecurity risks, and ensure it has quality data to use in decision making. "As the company attempts to become profitable," the report says, "effectively leveraging its data to drive decision-making while ensuring safe and effective operations can help achieve this goal."
The report calls the scope of these challenges "daunting," and says the OIG, Amtrak board, DOT, and Congress all must be involved. "We will continue to work closely with Amtrak leadership and our oversight partners," it concludes, "to help the company safely improve its operational and financial performance and protect the hard-earned investments of American taxpayers."
The full report is available here.
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