The Trump administration’s pursuit of a leaner, more privatized federal government has claimed another target—this time, Amtrak’s CEO, Stephen Gardner. Gardner, who had been in the role since 2022, abruptly announced his resignation on Wednesday as the administration and Elon Musk set their sights on potentially privatizing the government-owned passenger rail service.
In his resignation statement, Gardner said, “I am stepping down as CEO to ensure that Amtrak continues to enjoy the full faith and confidence of this administration.”
His departure comes as no surprise given the mounting pressure on Amtrak to align with the Trump administration’s demands, including budget cuts, the elimination of diversity programs, and a shift toward private investment in national rail infrastructure.
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A Long Career Derailed by Politics
Gardner had been with Amtrak for over a decade before assuming the CEO position. He previously served as the company’s chief operating and commercial officer starting in 2009, later becoming president in 2020. Beyond his corporate leadership, he is a lifelong rail enthusiast, having worked as a train conductor and operations manager early in his career. His passion for rail even extended to his personal life—he once founded a punk band named Chessie, inspired by the defunct Chesapeake and Ohio Railway.
Despite Gardner’s deep ties to the industry, his position at Amtrak became increasingly untenable under the new administration. Trump’s long-standing hostility toward Amtrak is well-documented; during his first term, he attempted to slash federal funding for the company by half. Now, with his second term well underway, his administration has doubled down on efforts to reduce Amtrak’s reliance on public funds and steer it toward privatization.
Earlier this year, billions of dollars earmarked for Amtrak’s expansion efforts became collateral damage in Trump’s federal spending freeze. The administration has been particularly critical of the company’s spending practices, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pressuring Amtrak to abandon diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and enforce return-to-office mandates. The message has been clear: comply with the administration’s agenda or lose federal support.
Adding to Amtrak’s troubles, Musk has also waded into the debate, publicly mocking the company and calling for its privatization. Speaking at a recent conference, Musk described Amtrak as “kind of embarrassing”, advising foreign visitors, “If you’re coming from another country, please don’t use our national rail. It can leave you with a very bad impression of America.” He also suggested that both Amtrak and the U.S. Postal Service should be privatized, reinforcing Trump’s broader push to dismantle government-run services deemed inefficient.
The Reality of Amtrak’s Performance
Ironically, Amtrak is coming off a record year of ridership, bolstered by an ongoing expansion plan aimed at bringing rail service to an additional 40 million people in the coming years. The company has been steadily adding new routes and improving service in an effort to modernize U.S. passenger rail.
Privatization, however, remains a highly controversial proposal. While some argue that private investment could accelerate modernization efforts, others fear it could lead to higher fares, reduced service, and a focus on only the most profitable routes—leaving rural and less-populated areas without viable rail options.
Others also point to Musk’s own track record in transportation as evidence that privatization may not be the magic solution Trump envisions. Musk’s Boring Company, which promised to revolutionize underground mass transit, has struggled to deliver on its grand ambitions. Over the past seven years, it has completed just 2.4 miles of a proposed 68-mile tunnel network in Las Vegas, a project that has been plagued by delays, cost overruns, and a lack of regulatory oversight. Other Boring Company projects have been abandoned altogether due to financial and logistical challenges.
By comparison, Amtrak’s federally backed operations don’t seem so ineffective after all. While the company is far from perfect, it has at least managed to expand services and maintain reliability, something many of Musk’s ambitious transportation ventures have failed to do.
Amtrak’s future now looks uncertain. The Trump administration has relied heavily on executive orders to dismantle or liquidate government institutions it deems wasteful, but many of these moves have faced legal challenges. For now, Amtrak is leaderless, and its employees face uncertainty about the company’s future. Whether Trump and Musk succeed in reshaping the national rail system—or whether Amtrak survives as a public entity—will likely depend on political and legal battles still to come.