 The formation of Amtrak in 1971 was criticized as a bailout serving corporate rail interests and union railroaders, not the traveling public.Critics have asserted that Amtrak has proven incapable of operating as a business and that it does not provide valuable transportation services meriting public support, a "mobile money-burning machine".Many fiscal conservatives have argued that subsidies should be ended, national rail service terminated, and the NEC turned over to private interests.