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Should Amtrak De-Nationalize?

Posted by: Nate Berg

24 January 2007 - 10:00am

This report from National Public Radio discusses ideas for placing control of federally-funded Amtrak into the hands of a federal-state partnership. Many feel funding for rail should be de-nationalized and governed by regional bodies.

The Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington D.C. is Amtrak's most successful route, carrying about 700,000 people daily. But the rails on this route are primarily traversed by local commuter trains. Riders feel that Amtrak's service does not respond quickly enough to demand when compared with private or locally-operated lines.

A report from Rutgers University suggests reforming the responsibilities of Amtrak to only operating trains, stripping the company of planning, investing and traffic control decisions.

Because the Northeast Corridor is Amtrak's most used line, if Amtrak were to lose controlling power over the route to a federal-state partnership, many of Amtrak's lesser-used lines would see funding plummet.

Full Story: Amtrak Urged to Bolster Service in Northeast
Source: NPR, January 23, 2007
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