Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement

In an op-ed in Streetsblog USA, Edward D’Amato argues that privatizing Amtrak won’t make U.S. passenger rail better.

According to D’Amato, “Amtrak’s government ownership isn’t the problem. The issue runs deeper.” U.S. rail lines, D’Amato explains, were largely built in the 19th century by private interests. “Back then, rail lines didn’t need to be straight and fast as trains only had to compete with canals, stagecoaches and riverboats — not cars and airplanes.”

Today, transportation needs are different, but U.S. railways have not caught up. Building out a passenger rail network requires public investment, and the success of private operator Brightline in Florida is “ an exception rather than a blueprint for national success. Its model depends on some public investment and will work only on the most densely traveled routes.”

D’Amato argues that the U.S. needs a dedicated, publicly funded passenger rail network separate from freight traffic to attract private rail investment — not entirely different from how governments fund airports and highways to enable private transportation.

According to D’Amato, the U.S. must take three steps to create an effective, modern passenger rail network:

• Create a passenger rail trust fund similar ot the Highway Trust Fund
• Establish a federal policy framework for passenger rail
• Create a federal Passenger Rail Authority