Until Amtrak (i.e., the U.S. Congressional Committee that funds Amtrak) decides to get serious, put up the funds to re-build/re-hab the entire passenger rail system the entire passenger rail system will continue to loose money. You'll never attract sufficent ridership when what you have to offer is woefully antiquated, both in reliability, time to travel (it takes longer TODAY to go Chicago to New York than it did in the 1930's!!) bad service, (yes, BAD SERVICE) ......... come on people,..... reality here, ....., PLEASE!!.....we've all encountered far TOO MANY "Toxic" Amtrak Service People.........bad food, no food (which is really unexcuseable because one time it's great and next time, the same menu selection is garbage, which proves they CAN get it right if they make the effort)........disgusting toilets.......all you regular riders know this.......
The WORST POSSIBLE thing we can do is let the bad service etc. "slide",..... make excuses for it and ignore the problems.
Until everyone can start speaking the 100% honest truth, nothing will change.....and ridership, in the numbers needed to make it "profitable" will not happen....people simply won't "vote" with their dollars for bad service, period.
Don't get me wrong...I want to love Amtrak, and I DO love Amtrak...after only two long distance round trips, ...when it works like it should...which today is less then 50% of the time. And I want Amtrak to be there for me in the future...and as the US population (we Baby Boomers) age....and finds it more and more difficult to endure the rigors of flying AND has the TIME to travel by train a whole new HUGE market opens up to Amtrak, IF, and ONLY IF Amtrak can deliver on its promises.............
Noise, people, NOISE, ACTIVISIM and MORE NOISE. Get off your duffs, write, WRITE your Congressional Rep, at the State, Commonwealth and Federal level and voice your support of Amtrak and DEMAND adequate funding. After all, it IS YOUR TAX DOLLARS!!
And as far as subsidies............Tell me the BIGGEST FEDERALLY subsidized transit system, The Interstate Highway System should be privitized, or go unfunded or???
If Amtrak was given the same percentage $$ subsidy the Interstate System receives......