Could Amtrak Soon Be Privatized?

"After years of bureaucratic inertia, there are signs that Congress and the Bush administration may be taking their first tentative steps toward confronting Amtrak's troubles."

A new bill due for consideration in the Senate would increase government funding, while the Bush administration is considering ways to partner with state governments and private entrepreneurs.

"One sign that longtime opponents may be inching closer to agreement is that even Amtrak's traditional supporters such as Lautenberg, who believe that rail service is a fundamental obligation of the government, now grant that there may be a role for the private sector to play."