Did the Private Railroads consider not joining Amtrak?

[Cal]

I presume he meant to say:

"But the economics couldn’t justify not joining."

Because we know that they did join Amtrak.

Thanks, I was reading it wrong, took me a minute but I got there.

 

[Palmland]

I assume there's a "not" missing here?

Yes, thanks!

 

[neroden]

In the Northeast operation of trains both commuter and some that bordered in intercity such as the former Reading RR services from Philadelphia to Reading/Pottsville and Bethlehem continued into Conrail up to the early 1980s. I believe there was some kind of mandate where Conrail had to divest itself of passenger operations by a certain date in the early 80s;

1983 was the date. The law was, I believe, the Northeast Rail Service Act of 1981, still partly on the books (45 USC 20)