Some context: Amtrak was created as part of a federal bail-out that re-organized the railroads. (Other parts were: Allowing railroads to merge operations; aband

Some context: Amtrak was created as part of a federal bail-out that re-organized the railroads. (Other parts were: Allowing railroads to merge operations; abandon unneeded trackage; and an ongoing dose of de-regulation.) For Amtrak to get federal political support it needs to operate in many states, even though it makes no financial sense to do so. Hence trains that seem run in the middle of nowhere, and are often slower to get anywhere.