Originally Posted by
bmclaughlin807
Amtrak had a hard time maintaining a profit because they were pretty much expected to build and maintain their own rail lines... imagine how much money the trucking companies would have made if they had to build and maintain all their own roads....
Amtrak couldn't afford to maintain rail ways in any areas but the very busiest, so everywhere else they lease from the freight railroads... and the freight trains get priority on those lines.
Pretty hard to compete in that situation, huh?
Good point. Most Americans believe that Amtrak is heavily subsidized by public funds, but this is far from the truth. Amtrak is a lot like PBS TV-- managed by a quasi-public corporation but funded by "passengers like you... Thank you." I think the industry that gets the biggest government handout is the trucking industry. Airlines aren't far behind with their free airports and terminals.