Seattle - U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, released the following statement on the departure of Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner:

“I thank Mr. Gardner for his long-time dedication to Amtrak.  Mr. Gardner’s leadership to steady the workforce during the tumultuous COVID-19 pandemic, restore service and add more trains to routes across the system, and implement the largest capital investment in Amtrak’s history is unparalleled. I especially thank him for working with me to increase service on the Amtrak Cascades route and taking safety seriously in response to the DuPont derailment in the State of Washington. Under Mr. Gardner’s stewardship, last year, passengers made 32.8 million trips on Amtrak, an all-time record for the company, and the Northeast Corridor has returned to profitability.  

“Mr. Gardner’s departure at this time makes it all the more important that Congress remain steadfast in its priorities for Amtrak – to aggressively invest in the success of the entire national network and support Amtrak’s Board and leadership to do so effectively. On a bipartisan basis, we unanimously confirmed a slate of Board members with broad viewpoints and skillsets to hold the company accountable. I look forward to working with the Board members and strongly encourage them to select a new CEO that will continue to prioritize safety and service to Amtrak passengers across the country.” 

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