California's high speed rail sounds like a terrific idea to me, but instead of getting inspired, it reminds me of how much room there is for improvement with Amtrak.
In my experience, I've found Amtrak to be slow, late, and overpriced. And above all that - its subsidized.
I did a little research and found this article at the CATO Institute: Amtrak Subsidies: This is no Way to Run a Railroad. I couldn't agree more with the sentiment in the article, and I'm disappointed to learn about the facts it presents:
- Amtrak has received $13 billion in United States subsidies
- It would be cheaper for the American taxpayer to pay for airline tickets for Amtrak customers than to partially subsidize their travel on Amtrak
- The average Amtrak passenger has higher income than the average American taxpayer
There is probably several politicians and lobbyist groups who are making bank off this sad situation.
