By Frank N. Wilner, Capitol Hill Contributing Editor, Railway Age Magazine; March 9, 2019
WATCHING WASHINGTON, MARCH 2019 – Amtrak seemingly operates in the shadow of a Bat Signal over Gotham—that specially modified searchlight displaying the emblem of a bat, and intended, when lighted, to summon superhero Batman. Rather than Batman, the Amtrak sentinel, with a passenger train emblem, summons self-appointed management surrogates—hopefully helpful railfans; well-intentioned but cash-strapped lawmakers from federal, state and local government; and, surely, the snoopy press corps.
Patience, persistence and self assurance are required to superintend Amtrak, where there is heard daily uninvited reproaches: The train schedules are inconvenient; delays are too many and too long; service should be inaugurated or expanded; full-service dining cars should be restored; the books are cooked; and management is secreting a dystopian agenda to destroy service. It’s enough to make a preacher cuss.