[Alter Kaker]

Amtrak is a flop and I doubt maglev would ever pay for itself either.

When you figure in the cost of federal subsidies, I don't think any airline has ever been profitable. And yet we need infrastructure. Why hold trains to a different standard than other forms of transportation?

[TexasRepublic]

I am not in favor of subsidizing either. And I am certainly not against trains. But trains have so far failed to catch on with the public in a big enough way to survive unsupported.