Amtrak Criticized Over Financial Deadline

A federal oversight panel, the Amtrak Reform Council, declared earlier this month that Amtrak will not meet a congressional deadline for achieving financial self-sufficiency, a finding that forces Amtrak to draw up a plan for its own liquidation.

However, the vote is subject to review by Congress in the next 90 days and was not expected to affect operation of passenger trains. It came one day after the Canadian maker of Amtrak’s high-speed Acela Express trains, which run along the East Coast, sued Amtrak for $200 million over project delays.

In a statement, Amtrak said it would work with Congress and the White House “to fashion an appropriate policy for the nation’s passenger rail system.”