"Amtrak is on track to break even on its passenger railroad service next year for the first time in the company’s nearly 50-year history.

Anderson has said he wants to prioritize urban corridors over cross-country routes, but it’s not happening as fast as he would like — nor “as fast as the country needs it,” he says.

“Our biggest challenge is I go testify in Congress and all we talk about is French toast on dining cars or food,” he says."



Thank God for Anderson, or Amtrak would have never have been "profitable"... Actually Amtrak has been within 95% of "covering" the (mostly...) "above the rail" operating costs for a decade..

"Amtrak" has had nearly 10 years of ridership increases, since the Rail Passenger Act was passed, on those "short" distance (750 miles or less) routes that Anderson "wants" to "prioritize". This has been entirely due to the success of the State and Local initiatives, using mostly State and Local funds for the critical investments in track, locomotives, and cars, that have been responsible for that accomplishment. The Corridor "JPA"s" CA are responsible for most of that. And, yes, this has been "accomplished", without providing enough resources even to replace the rapidly aging equipment pool.

These "short distance" State and Local corridors, making almost all of the investments, long nothing but national system "orphans", are almost completely responsible for most of the increases in passenger numbers at Amtrak for the last 40 years, despite a lack of much support at all from the "national" Amtrak management, over most of that period. And, no, it is not happening fast enough.

And, no, I'm also still not holding my breath waiting for Anderson, Amtrak, the Administration, or Congress to do much of anything... As, even the number one cost benefit intercity and commuter rail project in the nation, the LAUPT run-through, is being locally funded.

And, yes, at this point I agree that Anderson's greatest real accomplishment, thus far, has been to testify about how he's screwed up food service before Congress.