http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/216728-amtrak-exec-freight-delays-hurt-ridership
He could give VIA Rail a call to compare notes on how they fare (pun intended). As far as VIA #1 and #2 go, the surprise is when the trains show up ahead of schedule.
I just got a Google alert on this
http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060008220
Doesn’t look very promising for long distance train travel in the US.
As a frequent rider of Amtrak long distance trains, I’ll only comment that the article is mostly correct, but the devil IS in the details.
Politics has played a role in Amtrak since before its creation, and political maneuvering by anti-rail passenger persons and groups has made expansion of Amtrak services problematical, and even continuation of existing Amtrak services uncertain.
Yet, despite Congress, despite powerful anti-passenger sentiment, despite the animosity of the railroads, and despite the naievte of pro-passenger rail advocates, Amtrak survives.
There’s nothing wrong with Amtrak that a budget of one half of one day’s Defense Department spending (or 1 cent per gallon of gasoline tax) AND real teeth in its contracts with the railroads would not cure!
Dick Friedman said:
…
There’s nothing wrong with Amtrak that a budget of one half of one day’s Defense Department spending (or 1 cent per gallon of gasoline tax) AND real teeth in its contracts with the railroads would not cure!
Amen to that, Dick!
Or perhaps half a days welfare payments… 
I just did an Amtrak Southwest Chief journey from Fullerton, CA to Naperville, IL and back.
On the eastbound journey the amazing thing is we were routed around freights on the double track mainline through California - Arizona and the western part of New Mexico. We were never held up by a single signal…well other then slowing to 40mph to cross over to the other main and back again. There is no freight traffic on the Raton pass line so nothing to report there other then worsening track conditions.
But oddly once we got onto the mainline again in Kansas, we were no longer being routed around the freights, but following them. And as a result we lost significant time.
Westbound was similar.
So I think a lot has to do with dispatching centers and overall traffic conditions.
All I know is that whatever BNSF is doing out west they should keep on doing it. Fast passenger trains and freights. Not so sure about the eastern portion of their line.
The Empire Builder line is a real problem. Significant portions of the route are not double tracked so loads of problems stack up. Especially with the oil boom in the Dakotas.
How about this… The Government (Amtrak) double track large section of single track roads, and then run Amtrak on them and charge the RRs to run on their track, but only thru Amtraks dispatcher.
Dave, there you go, making sense again. You are going to have to quit doing that.
Steve Featherkile said:
Or perhaps half a days welfare payments…
Better yet, how about we take some of the money from politician perks. There’s way more there than they deserve.