Trump wants his own president of Amtrak. Plans to reduce or eliminate subsidies?
Last time around abt 1995, efforts to privatize Amtrak failed thanks to Sen Robert Byrd of West Virginia. Amtrak’s electrified northeast corridor line (Washington DC to Boston via Baltimore, Philadelphia, and NYC) has the high speed Acela trains and earns enough to fund operating costs. But still requires subsidies for maintenance like new Hudson tunnel to NYC, bridges, and the continuing problem with overhead lines that limit train speeds and sometimes fail due to inadequate maintenance.
Most Amtrak lines would require state subsidies.
Brightline in Florida and now LA to Las Vegas demonstrates potential to run high speed trains profitably.
OK, but rail travel is much more efficient than other means of travel such as auto or jet aircraft. Greens should want more rail travel. Why are we shutting it down? Makes no sense!!
Cost and lack of present/future use. I also would prefer rail travel, but it is not cost effective AND travelers want to get to their destinations FAST–so less time spent in travel and more “having fun”.
If you factor in the time spent arriving early for airplane flights, checking in, waiting in the lounge, and then claiming baggage after I think you’d find a significant radius of connections which would even out to the same overall “time spent”.
As a bonus, railroads are far more comfortable, the seats are wider and the seat pitch is greater, the food options better, you can pick your own seat and get away from screaming babies, and you have something to watch as you go.
At least that will endure until some terrorist blows up a train and they have to institute the same sort of security screening that airline travelers have to endure.