BTW, Amtrak is 100% to blame for what has and hasn't happened to passenger rail in the US as they have a legal monopoly on it. Try as you might, you cannot open a new private rail line and carry people in the US without Amtrak's permission since they own the passenger rights to all rail in the US -- built or unbuilt, used or abandoned!
This is part of the deal they got when Congress created Amtrak in the 70's. (The company's real name is National Passenger Rail Corporation; Amtrak is just a brand.) If you're into this topic, I highly recommend Derailed by James Vranich, the man who convinced Congress to create Amtrak in the first place and now believes it should be dismantled.
This is part of the deal they got when Congress created Amtrak in the 70's. (The company's real name is National Passenger Rail Corporation; Amtrak is just a brand.) If you're into this topic, I highly recommend Derailed by James Vranich, the man who convinced Congress to create Amtrak in the first place and now believes it should be dismantled.