"So why do so many people still treat it as a failure - and what would it take to shift the dialogue and deliver the rail investment that American riders deserve? We love this video essay from Wendover Productions, which offers a nuanced take on why headlines about disappointing new Acela trains and political posturing about Amtrak's "failure" to turn a profit are missing the forest for the trees."
"And along the way, he even makes the case for why an agency that has bee "misunderstood, mocked and maligned, politicized and subsequently villainized, perpetually hamstrung by ebbing and flowing support" is actually "fulfilling its mandate better than ever" - and why ditching the myth that Amtrak needs to make money could hold the key to making it better than ever."
Amtrak has kept trains running and achieved new ridership records despite decades of structural headwinds. Media attention on isolated problems like new Acela delivery and political critiques about profitability obscures overall performance. Expecting Amtrak to operate as a profit-making enterprise inhibits necessary public investment. The agency is meeting its public-service mandate through sustained operations, safety, and rising demand. Shifting metrics from profit to public benefit, securing long-term federal capital programs, and building bipartisan political support would enable expanded frequency, reliability, and modernization. Dispelling the profit myth could unlock the investment needed for a stronger national passenger rail network.
Read at Streetsblog
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