Amtrak on Schedule For…

…dismantling?

Maybe. The Bush admin wants to cut aid to the failing national passenger railroad, especially for massively unprofitable interstate lines. But the House of Reps last week voted to give Amtrak $900 million (half of what Amtrak says it needs to stay afloat this year).

Will Amtrak, which has been threatened with "restructuring," bankruptcy, etc. almost since its first train rolled out in the early '70s, ever really get kiboshed? Somehow, I doubt it. Those money-losing rail lines–in 1998, the General Accounting Office did a report showing that Amtrak lost about $47 per passenger, with some lines generating losses of over $200 per–wander through virtually every congressional district in the country. That helps to ensure votes for continued funding.