Summary: Amtrak spends almost $2 for every dollar of revenue that it earns providing intercity passenger service. GAO's review of the financial performance of Amtrak's current routes found that only high-speed service on the Metroliner between New York City and Washington, D.C., is profitable. All of Amtrak's other 39 routes operate at a loss. Any decisions about restructuring Amtrak's route system need to consider whether and how Amtrak will continue to provide national passenger service. An analysis also needs to assess each route's customer demand and financial performance, the willingness of state and local governments to subsidize service, and the route's broader benefits. Amtrak is in a very precarious financial position and remains heavily dependent on federal funding to pay for its operating and capital expenses. The reforms included in the Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act of 1997 will have little, if any, immediate effect on Amtrak's financial performance, according to Amtrak and Federal Railroad Administration officials. The officials also said that the longer-term benefits of these reforms are unclear.
