TRYING TO BRING BACK RAILROADS, but is this really true?

“Nobody in the world makes money hauling passengers,” he said. “There are no passenger train operations in the world that sustain themselves with the money they get selling tickets.”

Though many observers deride Amtrak’s financial record, it is actually one of the most successful rail systems in the world, recouping 75 percent to 80 percent of its operating expenses through revenues, Claussen said. Remaining expenses, as with most all rail systems, have to be subsidized.

Read the whole thing.

UPDATE: Various readers note some profitable rail systems (mostly commuter rail) in Japan. They have World War II to thank for that, apparently.