Amtrak CEO steps down amid Musk calls to privatize

Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said Wednesday he would resign from his post in an effort to resolve concerns from the Trump administration.

“I am stepping down as CEO to ensure that Amtrak continues to enjoy the full faith and confidence of this administration,” Gardner said, reflecting on his start with the company as an intern.

“I am so proud of what the Amtrak team has accomplished to bring passenger rail service to more people and places across the country over these past 16 years, and I thank the Board for their trust and support. We did a lot together to make Amtrak safer, more modern, and a better travel experience for all our customers.”

His decision to relinquish control over the national passenger railroad service of the United States comes as Elon Musk has suggested privatizing the service.

"I think logically we should privatize anything that can reasonably be privatized," Musk said while speaking at the Morgan Stanley conference on March 5, ac co rding to Newsweek. "I think we should privatize the Post Office and Amtrak for example. ... We should privatize everything we possibly can."

Amtrak responded with a five-page document titled “Proposals to Privatize Amtrak.”

“Proponents of privatization assert that it would produce better service at a lower cost and reduce or even eliminate the need for public funding,” the company wrote.

“Great Britain’s recent renationalization of its rail service after three disastrous decades of privatization, and past unsuccessful efforts to privatize various Amtrak operations, show otherwise.”

It also noted Amtrak set all-time records in ridership and revenue in fiscal 2024 with higher ridership levels than before COVID-19.

“As Stephen departs today, we thank him for his 16 years of service to Amtrak. We will build on his accomplishments and wish him every success,” Amtrak’s board wrote.

“We look forward to working with President Trump and Secretary [of Transportation Sean] Duffy as we build the world-class passenger rail system this country deserves.”

Throughout President Trump’s first term, he tried to cut spending on Amtrak. Former President Biden invested $2.4 billion in rail projects.

It’s unclear whether Trump will respond to Musk’s calls urging him to privatize the public service in an effort to reduce government spending.

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