> It's like asking the post office to turn a profit

Fun fact: It actually did until circa 2006. The Post Office makes enough money to cover its operating costs. Its main issues are retiree pension and healthcare costs. The Post Office is also a bit different from Amtrak in that USPS does not recieve direct subsidies from the government.

Anyways, I agree that Amtrak is a public service and that profit is not a main concern. But I also think it would behoove Amtrak and the public to examine its biggest money losers to see whether or not a restructuring is called for. As an example, one of its biggest losers is the California Zephyr, a 52 hour trip between Chicago and SF. Not only does it cost more than a plane ticket between ORD and SFO, but a plane will also bring you between the two cities 49 hours ahead of the train. Routes this long inevitably face delays along the way, hence its 36% on time rate. Perhaps Amtrak thinks about breaking its route into multiple segments so that it is not so prone to delays? Maybe beef up frequencies in its most crowded segments (Denver to Salt Lake)? Who knows.

I don't think Amtrak needs to make money, but it could probably benefit from someone taking a closer look at how the service could be made better