Sometime shortly after 2020 we will see "The Big Switch." For passenger trains, the government will own the land and track. And the trains will be run by private for-profit companies.
Right now the government runs the trains, and private companies (freight railroads) own almost all the track. But this runs counter to the history of our country where:
-Rivers are owned by society, barges run by the private sector.
-Highways are owned by society, while cars, buses and trucks are run by the private sector.
-Airports are owned by society, planes run by the private sector.
Here's why The Big Switch will happen. There's no profit in owning railroad tracks. There's huge profit in running trains. By 2020 trains will be recognized as the primary transportation for this century; and for-profit companies (already chomping at the bit to run trains) will easily convince the public that they can run faster on-time trains than the government/Amtrak can.
NineShift photo of Emeryville, Cal, Amtrak station tracks before boarding the train.
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