Amtrak is hard to ride

While everybody is complaining about Amtrak making a profit, ask yourself when was the last time an interstate highway showed a profit? Answer; they don't, as truckers pay road use taxes and taxpayers fund the US Government money given to the interstate roadways.

Most railroads have to be self-sufficient to operate or go bankrupt.

Lee Fritz

That's typical on the long-distance Amtrak routes: padding the schedule at the end to allow make-up time.

LOL, this is also the way that many airlines have improved their on-time records as well. 

Libertarians claim that ALL services should be privately owned.  The only functions of government should be Police, Courts and Armed Forces, to protect the rights of the people.  All highways would be private toll roads, privately owned airports would charge the airlines tolls, etc...  That way, only the most efficient would survive! ...and we could do without income, or sales taxes!

No one thinks that because of subsidies of every kind put the country in the financial shape it is in.........There is an old saying  "There is no free lunch".  No political statement here just common sense can see it has to stop sometime. 

Personally, I'm OK considering transportation infrastructure as something that exists for the public good that's OK to be subsidized by the government, but ultimately I (like probably most people) just want my end result.

In this case, the end result is to be able to travel from point A to point B in a relatively efficient manner.  Amtrak doesn't allow that other than in specific cases, so for the rest of us it's out of consideration.  If it doesn't go there at least semi-directly then its case closed.

Amtrak prices are high, windows dirty, trains late and inconvenient, their website (arguably one of the worst on the internet) must have been constructed by someone on halucinagenic drugs, and the food leaves much to be desired. I resent the "tip cup" for these highly paid union employees who serve the food. Years ago  the Pennsylvania Railroad had a simple contract with "Hero-Boy" in New York on 9th avenue. Every day a thousand large delicious magnificent hero sandwiches were prepared, delivered to Pennsylvania Station and offered for sale at modest prices. The AMTRAK came along. Hero-Boy was non union. Now we have twice the price for half-the-meat.

I don't know what Tommy rides.  I find Amtrak to always be leaving on time (unlike the airlines), be generally arriving on time (unlike the airlines), and the food quite good (not gourmet, but not hash house either.  I find the crews to be very polite & the trains comfortable.

I wonder if Tommy complains about tipping waiters in expensive restaurants????