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Is Amtrak the End of the Line for US Public Transit?

  //travel-leisure.news-articles.net/content/2025/ .. k-the-end-of-the-line-for-us-public-transit.html
  Published in Travel and Leisure on Thursday, August 28th 2025 at 7:50 GMT by The Nation
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Amtrak as the Nation’s Forgotten Public‑Transit Backbone

In a timely piece that ran in The Nation last month, editor and journalist [Name] turns the spotlight onto a rail system that has long been a national curiosity but rarely the center of public‑transit conversation. By weaving together personal anecdotes, hard‑earned statistics, and policy analysis, the article paints a picture of Amtrak as a “public‑service lifeline” that sits awkwardly between the worlds of freight, commuter rails, and the city buses that most people picture when they think of public transportation.

A Train That Has Never Been a “Commuter” System

The article opens with the familiar “you’re going to be late” refrain that a commuter in New York City has heard from a train in the late 1970s, only to find out that “the train you’re on is Amtrak, not your city’s MTA.” From there the author argues that Amtrak has always been a “national passenger railroad” rather than a local “commuter rail” system. Because of that status, it has been historically funded, regulated, and scrutinized in a very different arena—one that leans heavily on the federal government rather than municipal or state agencies.

In a footnote, the piece cites the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)’s 2022 annual report, which states that the agency received roughly $7 billion in federal subsidies during the pandemic‑era “Americans with Disabilities Act‑sized” fiscal year, compared with its $3.3 billion in revenue from ticket sales. This gap, the article points out, reflects Amtrak’s “inherent subsidy problem,” and sets it apart from transit services that get more localized public funding.

Why Amtrak Matters for the Public‑Transit Ecosystem

A core argument the article develops is that Amtrak does more than offer a “luxury alternative to flying.” In the section on “Travel Inequality,” the author argues that Amtrak’s service corridors run through economically disadvantaged corridors that lack robust public transit. For many people in the Midwest and Northeast, the train is a viable, if expensive, alternative to driving on congested interstates. The piece references a 2021 Washington Post profile that documents Amtrak riders in rural communities—many of whom are retirees or low‑income workers—who rely on the rail system to reach regional hospitals or grocery stores that are not otherwise accessible.

The article draws from the American Public Transit Association’s report on “Rail Equity,” which identifies Amtrak as a critical “connector” between local bus routes and major urban centers. It emphasizes that Amtrak’s ability to move 8 million riders each year is a public‑transportation service that could be “re‑imagined as a national transit network” if policymakers give it proper funding and oversight.

The Freight‑Passenger Conflict and Track Capacity

A large portion of the piece is devoted to the perennial battle between freight and passenger interests that has plagued Amtrak for decades. The article includes an interview with a former Amtrak engineer, who describes how “track ownership is a nightmare” when a freight company controls the same rails as a passenger train. Citing an American Rail Association study from 2023, the author notes that 60 percent of Amtrak’s routes share tracks with freight carriers, and that the result is a “delayed timetable” that has led to a 15‑percent loss in potential ridership over the last five years.

The article references the Federal Railroad Administration’s 2024 “Track Upgrade Plan,” which recommends new electrification on the Northeast Corridor and new freight‑free tracks on the Midwest’s “high‑speed corridor.” By linking to the FRA’s official documents, the author shows how a federal‑level strategy could solve the freight‑passenger bottleneck but also demands bipartisan commitment in Congress.

Funding, Politics, and the 2024 Infrastructure Bill

The policy section of the article takes a deep dive into the 2024 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and how its rail earmarks could reshape Amtrak’s future. The piece quotes a conversation with a senior transportation policy analyst at the Urban Institute, who explains that the IIJA allocates $30 billion to “rail infrastructure”—a figure that “could be half” dedicated to Amtrak’s needs if the administration pursues a more aggressive “rail‑first” agenda.

The author highlights that while the IIJA’s rail funding is a “welcome boost,” it also comes with “strings attached”: the funds are meant to upgrade stations, improve electrification, and purchase new rolling stock, but they do not directly increase Amtrak’s operating subsidies. The article links to a New York Times piece that argues for a “direct subsidy” model to keep Amtrak financially viable while allowing it to reinvest in service improvements.

A Call for Re‑Integration into the Public‑Transit System

The concluding part of the article is a call to action. The author argues that Amtrak has been “left out of the public‑transit conversation” for too long, despite its essential role in connecting underserved regions, reducing car traffic, and lowering carbon emissions. Drawing from a 2022 Bloomberg report on “Rail and Climate,” the article stresses that Amtrak’s electrified routes could become a cornerstone of the United States’ climate‑friendly transportation strategy if they receive adequate federal subsidies.

By referencing a joint statement from the American Public Transit Association and the National Association of Railroad Passengers, the piece ends on an optimistic note: if policymakers see Amtrak not as a “legacy” freight‑shack, but as an integral part of the nation’s public‑transit mosaic, the nation could finally give the rail system a chance to thrive.

Bottom Line

In a compelling and well‑researched summary, The Nation article brings the conversation about Amtrak out of the “luxury rail” niche and into the broader public‑transit discussion. By weaving together data, personal narratives, and policy analysis, it lays out the case that Amtrak is a critical, under‑funded public service that deserves a more prominent place in the U.S. transportation agenda. Whether policymakers will heed that call remains to be seen, but the article provides a clear roadmap for why they should.