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If the option for Amtrak is to take over the maintenance of the rail line through Raton for the exclusive use of the Southwest Chief, or have the states assume responsibility for it, it does not make sense financially.  This is especially true for a passenger railroad that needs approximately $1 of subsidy for every $2 of revenue.  That's for Amtrak's total system operations.  It is even worse for the long distance trains. If the decision is to re-route the Chief through Amarillo, Amtrak may not be on the hook for building new stations or re-opening dormant ones. As is the case for most of the stations served by Amtrak's long distance trains, the stations are or would be owned by the taxpayers in the communities served.  They would be on the hook for the cost of building new facilities or re-opening existing ones.   All of the Texas stations served by Amtrak are owned by the municipalities in which they are located.  In many instances they have multiple uses.  For example, the Intermodal Transportation Center in Fort Worth is used by Amtrak, Greyhound, and the 'T", which is the transit agency for Fort Worth.  I believe Amtrak pays rent for its use of a small portion of the facility.  Of the 13 stations between Texarkana and San Antonio severed by the Texas Eagle, nine of them have a ticket agent.  At the other four Amtrak does not have a physical presence.  I believe the total cost of these facilities is borne by the community's taxpayers.
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