Two points – one: many people with points to make reacted before the truth was known and they also assumed facts not in evidence (in fact, they assumed facts for which there was no evidence). Just as some of the protests, disturbances and riots sparked by “police killings” or verdicts about them were based on false or incomplete information, so too were some of the comments and talking points put forth after the accident. We still do not know everything about the accident. Amtrak gives the cause as "unknown." No one should promote a solution or a cure until we know for sure what the problem is.
Point two: the knee-jerk response of throwing money at a problem persists. Just suppose for a minute that cuts had been made in the budget of Amtrak – a competent manager could have reallocated existing resources to cover the immediate needs – particularly any safety needs – perhaps letting something less vital slide in order to maintain that which is truly important. The private sector does that all the time. The Federal Government almost never does. Case in point: since 2003, Amtrak has lost $900 million on food sales, and the House Appropriations Committee projects it will lose another $53 million next year. Would a private railroad lose that much on food sales? Of course not. It would raise prices, cut costs, implement efficiencies, or perhaps drop the service altogether. Since 1971, the taxpayers have subsidized Amtrak to the tune of $45 billion.
Rather than continue to underwrite a failed system, there is a better solution. Do with the passenger service what was done in the 1980s with the railroad freight service – deregulate it and privatize it. Amtrak receives over $1.1 billion in subsidies each year from the taxpayers. This enables it to keep its fares low and its ridership high (at least in the Northeast Corridor), allows it to support unprofitable routes and lets it continue to overpay its workers and overstaff its trains. But, like all other subsidies, it conceals the true cost of the commodity, discourages efficiency, and promotes flawed decision-making that costs the taxpayers dear.