A good start on reforming Amtrak

Four decades into its existence, government-run Amtrak passenger rail service has yet to break even.

As with countless other costly but ineffective federal programs, that means American taxpayers are on the hook for massive subsidies to keep the service afloat - even though most of us do not choose to ride Amtrak.

We have long believed that Amtrak's few profitable lines, mainly in the densely populated Northeastern United States, should be sold to the highest private bidders, and its remaining, unpopular lines should be shut down. But instead, year after year, Congress has approved billions more dollars to save Amtrak from collapse.

So it is refreshing to learn that someone in Congress is seeking to change that.

U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., has proposed legislation that would let private investors bid to provide high-speed rail service on Amtrak lines in the Northeastern corridor, which runs from Washington, D.C., to Boston.

That does not go so far as to sell off Amtrak's lines outright, but considering Amtrak's poor financial history, greater private investment is at least a step in the right direction.

And it is clearly preferable to President Barack Obama's stated desire to vastly expand government-run rail service throughout the United States. That budget-busting possibility should be vigorously resisted.

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