Bob McCarty Writes

This morning, I went online and found I could purchase a one-way adult-fare airline ticket on Southwest Airlines that would allow me to fly from New Orleans to Los Angeles today for $405.  Similarly, I found I could purchase a ticket on Amtrak for $439 (morning departure) or $133 (afternoon departure).  The difference between these travel options:  According to analysis by Pew’s Subsidyscope, the federal government subsidizes each passenger fare on Amtrak to the tune of $462.11.

Forty-one of Amtrak’s 44 routes lost money in 2008 with losses ranging from nearly $5 to $462 per passenger depending upon the line, according to a news release issued yesterday.  The Sunset Limited line highlighted above carried the highest per-passenger subsidy and, not surprisingly, the most passengers — 72,000 last year.  Pew’s analysis indicates that the average loss per passenger on all 44 of Amtrak’s lines was $32.

Your taxpayer dollars at work.