The US Government has spent almost untold BILLIONS ot dollars on the construction of the Interstate Highway system…How much direct profit has that investment returned to the US Treasury?
The US Government has spent Billions of dollars on the Air Traffic Control System…How much direct profit has that investment returned to the US Treasury.
Why does the US Government expect Amtrak to return a direct profit when none of the other public works investments that have been made return any direct profits?
Because the majority of Americans see both the Interstate System and Naional Air Travel as necessary to the stability of our economy and our way of life. Sadly, only a small portion understands what a benefit a national passenger rail system is.
While I enjoy riding Amtrak, and not just as a railfan, there’s only a small percentage of voters that understand that. Get the majority of voters on your side, and Amtrak making a profit won’t be an issue anymore.