Fail: WH blames Amtrak derailment on GOP not funding infrastructure. Train speed was over 100 in a 50 mph curve...

Josh Earnest would apologize if he had any character, but he doesn't. 

Via National Journal:

Calling the Amtrak train derailment a “horrific incident,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said investment in upgrades to the rail system’s infrastructure remain important to the administration. And President Obama, he said, has long advocated for Amtrak investments that would “benefit the traveling public.”
But Earnest was quick to note in his press briefing Wednesday that congressional Republicans have blocked such investments in the past.
“Unfortunately we have seen a concerted effort by Republicans for partisan reasons to step in front of those kinds of advancements,” Earnest said, noting that the cause of the crash is still under investigation, and it’s unclear whether infrastructure problems were involved.

Fail: Amtrak train leaves station...without passengers.

Your tax dollars subsidize every Amtrak passenger...

Via The NY Daily News:

An Amtrak train bound for Washington pulled away from Penn Station on Saturday without some pretty important cargo: its passengers.
Scores of travelers were stranded after the Acela Express 2253 took off from one platform about 3 p.m. — while they were waiting at another and unaware the train was leaving them behind.
Several minutes passed before the passengers even got wind of what had happened, one told the Daily News.
“They literally sent us to the wrong platform, and the conductor took off without any passengers,” said Damien Miano, 60, of Chelsea. “The right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing. It was just so bizarre.”
Miano said he and the other abandoned travelers eventually returned to the main level, where a red-faced Amtrak manager explained what happened and passed out bags of Doritos.
The manager said the conductor left without getting the okay, Miano said.
“He said that in all the years he was working there, something like this has never happened before,” Miano said. “Those were his exact words.”

Amusing: Sequester forcing Joe Biden to take Amtrak...

Joe always loved choo choos...

Via FOX News:

As the federal budget goes off the rails, Joe Biden's getting back on -- with Amtrak.
The looming sequester is forcing the veep to once again take the train -- as opposed to military aircraft -- to his weekend trips home to Delaware.

Biden said Wednesday he initiated the change, calling it the one thing about the sequester that's working to his "benefit."

Speaking at the National Association of Attorneys General, Biden said that while he took nearly 8,000 train trips as senator, the Secret Service made him travel by air because the Amtrak "gives too many opportunities for people to interact with me in a way they wouldn't like to see."  

Fail: Government funded Amtrak is losing money selling $10 hamburgers...

Perhaps they should let Chick-fil-A take over.

Via The Times:

Amtrak lost more than $800 million on its food and beverage services over the last 10 years, largely because of waste, employee theft and lack of proper oversight, government auditors have found. [...]

Mr. Alves, who issued a report on the problem last year, estimated that theft by Amtrak food service employees could cost the agency $4 million to $7 million annually. According to charts shown by Republican committee staff members during the hearing, Amtrak charges about $2 for a soft drink, but the cost to taxpayers is about $3.40 when labor is included. A $9.50 hamburger on the train costs taxpayers $16, the charts showed. Labor adds nearly 60 percent to food and beverage costs.

H/T Glenn Reynolds

Taxpayer-funded Amtrak thinks gays will dig trains...

Oddly, this ad campaign was announced the same week of the Chick-fil-A controversy. Hmm...

WASHINGTON (CBSDC) — Taxpayer-funded Amtrak has released a new ad campaign targeted for gay and lesbian couples.

The “Ride With Pride” program encourages couples to go to gay-friendly destinations, like Martha’s Vineyard, on its website.

“This island paradise is the perfect destination for a gay or lesbian couple looking for a tranquil getaway,” the site states.

Hilarity: Amtrak CEO Forced To Take Car After Train Breaks Down

To make matters worse, he was on the way to a ribbon cutting for the renaming of Amtrak’s Wilmington train station in honor of Vice President Joe Biden.

(The Daily Caller) — Today’s the big day for Amtrak’s Wilmington train station. It is being renamed in honor of Vice President and former Delaware Senator Joe Biden following major renovations made possible with stimulus funds.

One problem: the CEO of Amtrak got stuck on the train.

ABC News Deputy Political Director & Political Reporter Michael Falcone tweeted at approximately 10 a.m. that the Acela train he was riding had been “delayed” in Baltimore and that he was sitting next to Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman.

Falcone tweeted, “Acela to NY delayed for ‘unknown period’ Should I feel better that the Amtrak CEO is sitting next to me?”

It quickly became apparent that the CEO’s presence wouldn’t fix the train. A subsequent tweet from Falcone noted, “BAD sign: Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman just got OFF the train to take a car to Wilmington.”