Why U.S. rail travel is so expensive

Amtrak's Acela is the fastest rider bid successful the Western Hemisphere, but tickets tin beryllium pricey.

Amtrak fares tin alteration dramatically successful the Northeast, location of the astir heavy utilized agelong of way successful the railroad's nationwide network, which besides includes stops successful Canada.

But tickets are often much costly than level tickets, contempt formation times being overmuch shorter than the emblematic bid ride. Transportation researchers accidental Amtrak's fares successful the Northeast are higher than those for comparable systems.

Meanwhile, the federally owned and funded Amtrak has not made wealth successful its five-decade history.

Ridership numbers and finances were strengthening earlier the coronavirus pandemic. A erstwhile enforcement said that successful aboriginal 2020 the institution was connected its mode to its archetypal profitable twelvemonth successful its history. The pandemic tanked ridership and dashed those hopes.

But present Amtrak has reasons to beryllium bullish astir its future. In November 2021 the national authorities allotted Amtrak $66 cardinal to upgrade instrumentality and repair and grow its network. Amtrak wants to summation ridership by 20 cardinal annually, and grow into areas astir the state with fast-growing populations but small rider obstruction service. States specified arsenic Texas, Florida and Arizona are each premier candidates.

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