A columnist chides Alaska's Transportation Secretary's criticism of Amtrak, saying the state has its own issues with rail service.
"After riding the train from the downtown depot to the airport depot (a scenery-packed trip that took 21 minutes), Mineta praised Alaska's privately operated railroad as a subsidy-free model for the rest of the country. He called Amtrak a 'dysfunctional monopoly' in need of reform, and he hailed the Alaska Railroad as a prototype for inter-city rail travel in the rest of the country.
...But mostly the Alaska Railroad hauls freight. Of the $129.5 million in revenue the railroad pulled in last year, $89.5 million came from freight. That's why touting the Alaska Railroad as a model for Amtrak isn't fair."
Thanks to Brenda Meyer
FULL STORY: Beth Bragg: Comparing our super railroad to Amtrak is unfair
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