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Amtrak owns approximately 46 of the 525 stations that it serves.  Pennsylvania Station, New York; Chicago Union Station; and 30th Street Station, Philadelphia, are structured as Amtrak subsidiaries.  They charge Amtrak, as well as the other users, rent, which is the major source of revenue.  Of course they pay all the costs.  Anyone who has been to Penn Station knows that it has heaps of vendors who probably pay a pretty penny for the space that they occupy.    Amtrak maintains another 181 stations, in addition to the 46 stations it owns, as well as 411 platforms throughout the country.  It generates revenue from these maintenance contracts. In many cities, i.e. Dallas, Fort Worth, etc., the station is owned by the city.  They don't pay taxes on these facilities.  In Dallas, as well as Fort Worth, Amtrak rents a very small portion of the facility.  Whether it pays a market rate for the space is unknown.  I doubt it. In any case, city ownership is in effect a subsidy for Amtrak.  This arrangement is a common pattern throughout the country.   Unfortunately, I have not been able to get hold of any of the financial statements for the stations owned by Amtrak to see if they earn a profit for the parent.   Dallas Union Station is not energy efficient.  It is a cavernous building that was opened in 1913 or 14.  It was designed to serve thousands of passengers every day.  Under current conditions, it serves less than 100 passengers on a typical day.  But the whole building must be cooled and heated.  And cooling it during July and August in Texas is an expensive proposition.
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