Title: Why is Amtrak So Expensive? Here's the Answer
Headings: Why is Amtrak So Expensive? Here’s the Answer
Why is Amtrak So Expensive? Here’s the Answer
How Did Amtrak Come Into Existence?
Why Is Amtrak So Expensive?
Most of Its Routes Aren’t Very Profitable
It Is Stuck in a Catch 22 Scenario

Content: Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a way out of this for Amtrak because it answers to the U.S. government, which can’t seem to make up its mind about whether it wants the quasi-public corporation to be profitable or to provide a public necessity. If Amtrak is supposed to be the former, it needs to reform its routes. In contrast, if Amtrak is supposed to be the latter, well, suffice to say that it was always operate at a loss, though that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It Is Stuck in a Catch 22 Scenario
Speaking of which, Amtrak is stuck in a Catch 22 scenario as well. Essentially, Amtrak is struggling with the consequences of aging trains as well as aging railroads. This is very expensive because that means increased depreciation, increased maintenance, and other expenses that eat into its earnings. However, Amtrak can’t change that unless it has the money needed to pay for new assets as well as other improvements. Theoretically, the simplest and most straightforward method for the quasi-public corporation to do so would be raising its ticket prices, but it will have a very difficult time justifying such a raise because of the poor condition of its trains as well as its railroads. Never mind the fact that some of Amtrak’s operations are still carried out on railroads owned by other companies, which creates a whole host of further issues. Of course, the government could fix this problem to some extent by providing Amtrak with more funding, but under current circumstances, that seems to be more optimistic than what the evidence would warrant, particularly since the Trump administration has proposed funding cuts.