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[quote user="henry6"] And this comparison of apples and oranges proves what? NS is a freight railroad, owns the track it runs on, is basically limited to the track it owns, is a stockholder business, it is a business that has changed in size by acquiring and merging with other railroads, has had changes in make up of traffic as well as traffic patterns.  Amtrak is a government owned entity which owns some of its track but runs on private enterprise railroads for much of its mileage, it is in the business of moving people instead of freight, because it is a passenger operation it is also more labor intensive, it is a nationwide operation and not confined to its owned tracks.  It would be more fair to compare Amtrak to Greyhound bus or American Airlines than to a regional freight railroad.  And more fair to compare NS to any other regional freight railroad in the country. [/quote] Comparing the efficiency of NS to other railroads or the commercial freight hauling business in general is relatively easy. Investors do it every day. It is called the stock market.   Greyhound, Megabus, Boltbus, etc. have to cover their costs or go out of business.  The same applies to the nation's airlines.   Amtrak does not have to cover its costs. It just has to convince the taxpayers to underwrite it. Having said that, if Amtrak could drop the long distance trains, rationalize it management and organizational structure, align its services to what people are willing to pay for, it probably could cover its operating costs.  Moreover, if it were placed on a level playing field, which would require some radical changes, it probably could cover its capital costs. I am keen to see if the proposed private operators, i.e. Texas, Florida, Italy, can show that there is another way than the Amtrak mode.
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