Replying to a message of Bob Sakowski to Richard Webb:

 BS> Amtrak came in existence AFTER the railroads ceased passenger traffic
 BS> cited it as being a money loser.

Actually Amtrak took over the railroads' passenger service.  The railroads wanted
to end passenger service, particularly the long haul trains, because they were (and
still are) money losers.  The government made it an all or nothing deal,
the government
would take over all passenger service or none of it.  I'm quite sure the railroads
would have been quite happy to continue the short haul service,
particularly along the
East Coast between Boston and DC.

It wasn't a case of the railroads stopped passenger service and *then* Amtrak was
invented to reinstate it.  The railroads started making noises about ending passenger
service and the government invented Amtrak to take over the existing services.

--- FleetStreet 1.19+