United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2001-07-25 monographic deposited born digital 12 p. GA 1.13:GAO-01-820T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-820T P0b002ee180370afb f:d01820t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-820T machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-820T GAO-01-820T Federal aid to railroads Financial analysis Railroad industry Program graduation Amtrak Metroliner Project Amtrak Northeast Corridor Amtrak Northeast Corridor High-Speed Rail Program Testimony A01453 Congress is facing critical decisions about the future of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) and intercity passenger rail because operating a national intercity passenger rail system as currently structured without substantial federal operating support is very unlikely. Thus, the goal of a national system much like Amtrak's current system and the goal of operational self-sufficiency appear to be incompatible. In fact, Amtrak was created because other railroads were unable to profitably provide passenger service. In addition, Amtrak needs more capital funding than has been historically provided in order to operate a safe, reliable system that can attract and retain customers. Developing a high-speed rail system is also costly, requiring additional tens of billions of dollars. If intercity passenger rail is to have a future in the nation's transportation system, Congress needs to be provided with realistic assessments of the expected public benefits and resulting costs of these investments as compared with investments in other modes of transportation. Such analyses would provide sound bases for congressional action in defining the national goals that will be pursued, the extent that Amtrak and other intercity passenger rail systems can contribute to meeting these goals, state and federal roles, and whether federal and state funds would likely be available to sustain such systems over the long term. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-820T/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-820T.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-820T/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-820T.pdf GAO-01-820T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-820T Testimony GAO-01-820T; Intercity Passenger Rail: The Congress Faces Critical Decisions About the Role of and Funding for Intercity Passenger Rail Systems; Federal aid to railroads Financial analysis Railroad industry Program graduation Amtrak Metroliner Project Amtrak Northeast Corridor Amtrak Northeast Corridor High-Speed Rail Program