&gt;and then act surprised that nobody takes Amtrak<p>But lots of people take Amtrak in the Northeast Corridor--enough to subsidize the rest of the system. The problem is that there aren&#x27;t any other areas in the country that are as well-suited for busy inter-city rail as the Boston to DC corridor. Almost everything else is lower density and further apart.<p>I&#x27;m not an expert on transportation cost structures but my observation in most places in the world is that, given a decent highway system, buses are going to beat intercity trains every time when it comes to price.