Ridership has increased more than 60 percent since Amtrak's inception and passengers are riding in new cars pulled by new locomotives.
Trains arrive closer to scheduled times than they have in many years.
Yet problems linger-the Amtrak network is thin and little changed, the number of trains operated is not much different from 1971, massive subsidies are required to keep the system running, and there is a noticeable lack of direction concerning the corporation's future. In a time of severe government financial squeeze, serious questions are asked about the priority of federal subsidies for train service that carries only 22 million passengers a year. Two alternatives for Amtrak seem to be most frequently discussed. One is essentially a continuation of the status quo. While it emphasizes cost-cutting measures in operation of the system for a slow, gradual financial improvement, it also requires high subsidies for a long time.