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Amtrak can't get me to many places either...? Still apples/oranges no matter how you slice it. Underinvestment versus overinvestment. Nobody can say that Southwest uses a land-based infrastructure that suffers from underinvestment— nobody . How is it a comparison of "underinvestment" to &...

The point being, as always, that Amtrak should approch these issues by depicting itself a a positive alternative, rather than the beneficiary of the state's power to coerce. The idea of having alternative transportation is certainly respectfully and necessary. However, Amtrak being the provider of ...

Southwest can't get you to Manhattan. Amtrak can. (Southwest can't even get you to JFK, LGA or EWR.) And would you care to factor in the full infrastructure cost of the various airports to the Southwest figures, not just the cut-rate landing fees? At the same time, subtract the cost of the NEC from...

This is a good point. If used equipment were always cheaper in the long run, Jet Blue and all the other discount airlines would be buying old 737s that have been mothballed in the desert. Instead, you see the opposite (the new discount airlines have some of the youngest fleets in the industry). Yes...

I say again: NO BUSINESS can hope to make a profit if it charges less than it needs to provide the good or service! You're absolutely correct - if you don't charge enough, you will lose money. However, the flip side of the equation is that if you charge too much than what the market will bear, then...

Yes, we can all question Amtrak's logic, but we can't necessarily expect a reply here. As for the focus simply on revenue equipment, in case you missed it, Amtrak just made a fairly large purchase of cars that will be in revenue service. But as others have pointed out, w/o the ability to actually s...

That is, if the passenger doesn't want to get where they are going. Are you telling me that the F59s and P42s are being used as yard switchers? And exactly how does that wear a locomotive thin? Much of the track maintenance is done with mechanized equipment - they don't need a switching (or road) l...

The routes that have the greatest chance of survival are those routes which have a rider demand for the route. The problem, which can easily be found if you view any of the available financial reports in the Press & Media section of Amtrak's own website, is that its costs far surpass its revenue...

It is all about appearances, and Amtrak did screw up in the appearance department here. It is asking for $1.8B from the government this year, and those who are zeroing out the Amtrak appropriation this year are complaining (maybe rightfully so) that Amtrak takes money that is intended for capital co...