by Philly Amtrak Fan
OrangeGrove wrote:But the NEC brings in a lot more riders and a lot more revenue. The NEC pays its weight, it's White Sulphur Springs that doesn't.Philly Amtrak Fan wrote:If they really wanted to cut that percentage they could try to blackmail the states into covering the LD routes or at least part of them like they did the state supported routes. I don't believe one of the state supported routes were actually cut as a result of PRIIA. You know which route I say could be the test pilot to blackmail the states to see if they can get off the federal "payroll" and onto the statesThe long-distance trains actually generally require only a moderate level of federal subsidy; Far more money could be "saved" by mandating the northeastern states pay the full cost of the Northeast Corridor, which has costs several times that of the national system (remember that Acela's fictional profit is only "above the rail"). Not that I'm suggesting such a mistaken concept, of course.
The idea of the northeast states getting a free ride, via federal funding, while states in the remainder of the nation have to pay the full cost of all their trains is a counterproductive, indefensible concept and a non-starter. Regardless, the states do not pay the full costs for their regional trains; Amtrak continues to bear some expenses for these services, which is fair and reasonable; A revival of a modern 403(b) program could potentially be fruitful for expanded state and regional services.