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Out-dated in what sense? Certainly RAIL PASSENGER SERVICE is not outdated, especially in an age where fuel for cars is so prodigiously expensive and the supply becoming a real pain in the @$$ to secure (hydrogen fuel cells will not save us). I've always thought it a shame that amtrak is forced to suffer, while Greyhound Lines (the crappy bus service known for lousy schedules, always being late, dirty facilities and vehicles, and over-priced (compared to the quality of service) tickets is somehow able to turn a profit and secure a base of ridership. I guess an important point here would be that Greyhound's thoroughfares (the IHS) are subsidized and maintained with tax-payer dollars. The airlines, too, are notorious for being bailed out and having money thrown at them by government. But try and get anybody in government to give a penny to amtrak and it's labeled "welfare for a failling system"...I think this is a huge lie and more so,  a cop-out. If politicians simply admitted that they had no interest in "bailing out" or subsidizing amtrak because amtrak wasn't a billion dollar industry with high lobbying-potential and there was no money in it for themselves, the politicians, it would sting less. Politicians don't want to refrain from giving amtrak money not because it accounts to "giving welfare to a failiny system" but namely because they don't care about amtrak and have no reason to. Nothing is more offensive and condescending than having smoke blown up one's keister. You can get as much trained, educated management with well-thought-out plans as you want, but the fact remains simple - AMTRAK NEEDS GOVERNMENT MONEY. Without the initial boost for a year or a number of years, there will be no hope and amtrak will remain to be a passenger rail service that the bolivians would be embarassed by. Couple government subsidies with smart, efficient management and it might stand a chance.
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