Blog: Amtrak

Statement

"When Congress created Amtrak in 1970, passenger-rail advocates hoped that it would become an efficient and attractive mode of travel. More than 40 years of Amtrak operations have disappointed them, as Amtrak has become the highest-cost mode of intercity travel and remains an insignificant player in the nation's transportation system. Nationally, average Amtrak fares are more than twice as much, per passenger mile, as airfares. Despite these high fares, per-passenger-mile subsidies to Amtrak are nearly nine times as much as subsidies to airlines, and more than 20 times as much as subsidies to driving. When fares and subsidies are combined, Amtrak's costs per passenger mile are nearly four times as great as airline costs." [Cato]

Suzanne Bonamici recently voted to continue the massive taxpayer subsidy to this inefficient system in which the primary beneficiaries include transportation unions who are major contributors to her campaign.

Source