Amtrak, either in their ignorance or misguided predatory actions, will continue to contend that routes must be discontinued to reduce the subsidy because of lowered government funding. Amtrak claims that the NEC covers all of its operating costs. This is an old railroad laid out according to turn of the century standards and in spite of realignments and upgrading is far from conforming to the criteria that has governed the custom built high speed lines in Europe and Japan. The entire concept strays far from the prevailing sentiment in Congress that financial responsibility for regional developments should be devolved to the states that directly benefit and is 180 degrees opposite from bills currently being introduced in Congress which would transfer highway authority to the states. Only the maintenance of interstate highways would be funded federally.
Many states are donor states to the highway system.
Ohio gets back only about 62 percent of its fuel tax remittance and Texas about 75 percent. Anything additional would be financed by the states Involved. In this brawl that has gone on between the Northeast Corridor and the national system for the past 25 years there are simply too many wild cards to resolve simply by blindly appropriating more money and trusting to Amtrak to distribute it equitably. The issue needs to go to divorce court for a final settlement and each portion of the system can then stand or fall on its own merits.