Amtrak liquidation chances are slim

Talk of liquidating Amtrak is overblown and chances of a forced liquidation of the railway are small, said Tom Till, executive director of the Amtrak Reform Council. The more important effect of the council's vote, which would force Amtrak to develop a liquidation plan, is to press Congress and the White House to make significant and lasting changes to a railroad system that has bled money for decades, said Till. "Nobody here seriously believes Amtrak is going to be liquidated, and that's not the intent of our finding," Till said in a media briefing. "There will be proposals on the table to debate and discuss, and that's what we want." The council's ideas include: making states or Congress come up with the money to keep unprofitable but politically popular Amtrak routes, and improve the railway's reservation system so fewer seats go unused.