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Well, they could gripe about it, yes. But as long as the company holds the Amtrak charter, they have a Federally protected right over the freight roads. I do not know how extensive this trackage right is, but I do know that Amtrak has scrubbed routes and then re-instated them years later. This is the one -- and probably only -- asset that Amtrak owns which is invaluable, and which makes it an attractive purchase. That, and the NEC and other minor corridors which have operating profits or meet their ops cost in the very least. But the huge debt the road has incurred makes it a stinker as a privatization or semi-privatization project. Or heck, even as a fully Federal project. That debt need to be cleaned up, immediately, or even if Congress bails out the road, lenders will not finance new equipment, etc... etc... Why do they need lender's cash anyway? Getting cash out of Congress takes too long, and is too political. So if they want, say, a second Acela train set, they could petition Congress, wait 18 months, and then have it either lost in a joint committee or in political bickering or a veto, or they can go to the bank and have a loan within 60-90 days, and spend it as they see fit. So getting that debt load down will be very important for the long term viability of Amtrak, or any successor which wants the Amtrak charter. Alexander
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