Equipment Shortages Plague Amtrak
SPECIAL REPORT: Amtrak continues to provide mobility in uneven fashion
Repair - Rebuild - Replace
Amtrak can be operated as a public service or concentrate on cutting costs. It can't do both. For many years, budget cutters insisted on profitability, which led to cutbacks, but Congress recognized the need for public service and explicitly made a national system its goal. Unfortunately, Amtrak continues to focus on cost-cutting while demand grows, which has led to severe service problems.
All travel modes are tax supported, from airlines enjoying the world’s safest air-traffic control system courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer to buses and trucks battering a highway system only half paid for by gas taxes.
Why Does Amtrak Exist
Amtrak was created by Congress in 1971 as a quasi-government corporation that would receive public funding to operate intercity passenger trains. Amtrak is required to operate a national rail passenger system, tying together existing and emerging service.