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How about privatizing Amtrak sleepers or diners?

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In FY09 Amtrak had a net operating loss of $1,264,355,000.  Passenger miles were 5,897,441,000.  The loss is covered by federal and state subsidy payments.  Dividing the net operating loss, which includes fully allocated operating expenses, depreciation, and interest, as well as adjustments, results in an average system loss of 21.44 cents per passenger mile.  The average loss (subsidy) per passenger was $46.54.  In FY10 the net operating loss was $1,335,449,000.  Passenger miles were 6,320,740,000.  The average system loss per passenger mile was 21.13 cents.  The average loss (subsidy) per passenger was $46.15. The average operating losses for the NEC, when they were incurred, were smaller than the average losses for the system as a whole. However, if Amtrak allocated depreciation and interest to each route, which it claims that it cannot do because it does not have the required methodology, although it is working on it, the NEC, including the Acela, would show substantial losses for each annual accounting period.  Most of Amtrak's depreciation and embedded interest charges lie in the NEC.  They were incurred to support the higher speeds associated with Acela operations. Some folks seem to think that only the above the rail or operating results count.  Unfortunately, this is not true. A business must recapture all of its costs, including depreciation, interest, extraordinary items, discontinued operations, etc., if it is to stay in business. Unless of course it is not a real business!
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