(The Missoulian posted the following editorial on its website on April 5.)
MISSOULA, Mont. — The Bush administration last week sketched out its plan to overhaul Amtrak, the money-losing national passenger line that provides service across northern Montana on the Empire Builder. The administration wants to turn Amtrak into a for-profit company and for states to pay more of the cost of running the railroad.
That would pretty much derail Amtrak in Montana. While the Empire Builder provides useful and appreciated transportation to Whitefish, West Glacier and points along the Hi-Line, there’s no way Montanans can or will foot substantial new costs to keep the train running. Amtrak enjoys as much support as it does from Montanans largely because — despite high fares — someone else pays much of the cost of our rail service. You’d see support erode if the people riding the train had to pay the full cost, or if Montanans who don’t ride the train paid more to maintain service for the people who do.
If you’re a train aficionado, don’t slit your wrists just yet. The administration plan is getting a chilly reception throughout the country. There are enough rural states – like Montana, dependent on Amtrak for transportation in areas not served by airlines – with enough clout in Congress to greatly slow, if not stop the proposed changes.
Amtrak’s five-year authorization runs out in September. The administration’s proposal faces competing proposals from Amtrak itself and several members of Congress. We’d be surprised to see a radical change in Amtrak this year.
But the administration plan reflects an inescapable reality. The federal government does some things well, but running a railroad isn’t one of them. Amtrak loses money – over $1 billion a year – even with a billion-dollar federal subsidy. The losses would be far greater if Amtrak did a better job of maintaining and upgrading its trains. In the long run, Amtrak is doomed unless it finds ways to expand and vastly improve service. That’s impossible so long as it struggles financially, however. Amtrak’s in a death spiral.
What’s the answer? We don’t know. But we don’t rely on the federal government for other modes of transportation, and we shouldn’t for rail service, either. If we’re going to have viable passenger rail service in America, it’s going to be from private carriers.