Originally Posted by
Reindeerflame
If the sleepers are indeed profitable, Amtrak should contract them out to a private provider to ensure better quality of service.
It's pretty clear the sleepers also lose money. Why not just run the sleepers and cut the coaches? Answer: sleepers alone would not be profitable.
My apologies, I should have been clearer with my statement. Sleepers are not profitable, but they do cover their above the rails costs and then a bit. Amtrak does not make money off of them, and they definately don't make enough money to cover their capital costs, much less to buy new ones.
But general tax monies are not being used to directly subsidize the running of the sleeping cars. And eliminating them would mean that the per passenger subsidy for rail travel in coach would go up.