The CEO of Amtrak, Stephen Gardner, unexpectedly resigned from his position at the U.S. passenger railroad. His resignation was mentioned in an announcement made on Wednesday, indicating that the change in leadership was related to maintaining support from President Donald Trump. Gardner stated that he was stepping down to ensure that Amtrak continued to have the administration's full confidence. A successor for Gardner has not been announced yet.

Gardner's departure coincided with Elon Musk's suggestion of privatizing Amtrak as well as the U.S. Postal Service at a recent tech conference. Musk, a key figure in the government's efforts to reduce federal size, criticized Amtrak and compared it unfavorably to passenger rail services in other countries. The Transportation Department did not provide details regarding Gardner's resignation, although it was reported that he was asked to step down at Trump's request due to budget reduction efforts.

Amtrak did not confirm whether Gardner was asked to resign, but the board expressed its commitment to collaborating with Trump and the Transportation Secretary to enhance the country's passenger rail system. Gardner's history with Amtrak dates back to the 90s when he started as an intern. He served the rail service for 16 years, becoming CEO in January 2022.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Amtrak faced challenges with declining ridership, though numbers have since rebounded. In the 2024 fiscal year, Amtrak reported a record ridership of 32.8 million trips, a 15% increase from the previous year. Ticket revenue reached $2.5 billion, up 9%, and the adjusted operational loss was $705.2 million, a 9% improvement year over year.