Amtrak's Far-Reaching Impact

Discussions about shutting down Amtrak would have serious impacts on many commuter rail lines also.

1 minute read

March 17, 2005, 1:00 PM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"Under a worst-case scenario, the administration could force the railroad into bankruptcy this year or early next. But whatever the specific outcome, one group likely to be affected is the 800,000-plus non-Amtrak passengers a day who rely on Amtrak to get to and from work.

...Many passengers don't realize it, but commuter trains from California to Illinois to Pennsylvania depend on Amtrak tracks, facilities or personnel for all or part of their trips. Amtrak owns big downtown train stations in Chicago, New York and Washington where commuter trains stop for passengers, and Amtrak dispatchers direct some of Boston's commuter trains."

[Editor's note: This link is available to non-subscribers for a period of seven days.]

Thanks to Chris Steins

Wednesday, March 16, 2005 in Wall St. Journal

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