When we drive a car on a long trip, don’t we use highways that get gazillions in federal/state funding from a number of alphabet-soup government agencies to buld and maintain them? And then when we fly, don’t we rely on government funds to build airports, maintain the air traffic control system and enforce safety requirements and pay for TSA grope-downs? Why then are we whining about funding to run passenger trains? Without trucks full of bucks from Uncle Sugar, could the airlines even stay in business? Would there be any highway without a high-cost toll? When we accept that we can rarely travel without some sort of subsidization, we can get closer to admiring Amtrak for doing as much much as they do with less than they need to provide as much as we have now. Remember 9/11 when planes were grounded? Amtrak still ran, even though there weren’t enough cars to really handle the load. If we don’t learn from history, we’re bound to repeat it.
Actually in relation to the highway system the feds make the roads cost more with the multiple regulations and controlling agencies. The Feds fund the highways, rails and airlines systems from multiple funds. The largest is the from the gas/diesel tax that everyone pays when they fill up their tank. This money which comes from the states is divvied out per law by which most state do not get as much funding for highways as is sent to the feds. If we could get the feds out of the highway racket it would be better for all.