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The Bush administration has proposed that Amtrak eliminate some or all of its 18 long-distance trains, saying some routes lost hundreds of dollars per passenger. Amtrak has never made money in its 32-year history and has roughly $4 billion in debt. The railroad network almost ran out of money last summer, and it faces the same prospect this spring unless it receives $1.2 billion in subsidies for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. Congressional leaders are negotiating the size of that subsidy. The administration proposed that Amtrak receive $900 million next year. The railroad is looking for $1.5 billion to $2 billion.
