Elon Musk Slams Amtrak, Praises China’s High-Speed Rail

Elon Musk has a bone to pick with America’s trains. Speaking at a tech conference hosted by JPMorgan Chase on Wednesday, the billionaire called out Amtrak, the U.S.’s federally owned passenger rail service, as an “embarrassment.” His fix? Privatize it. “Go to China, and you’ll ride high-speed trains that blow your mind,” Musk told the crowd, per The New York Times. Clocking in at 300 kilometers per hour (about 186 miles per hour), China’s rail network links every major city. Meanwhile, Amtrak’s fastest offering, the Acela in the Northeast, tops out at 150 miles per hour—half the speed.

Musk didn’t hold back. “Back in the U.S., Amtrak’s state is depressing,” he said. “If you’re visiting from abroad, skip our trains—they’ll give you a terrible impression of America.” This isn’t his first rail rant. He’s bashed California’s high-speed rail dreams before and even pushed to privatize the U.S. Postal Service. Since its start in 1971, Amtrak has faced calls to go private, but Musk might be its loudest critic yet.

Amtrak’s struggles are real. It’s never turned a profit, runs on tech that’s sometimes over a century old, and battles delays from shaky tracks. Last spring, a glitch on the line into New York City sparked chaos—ride-share prices spiked, New Jersey commuter trains stalled, and Boston trips ground to a halt. Still, Amtrak keeps rural America connected, offering affordable rides that bypass clogged highways and airports.

The company fired back at Musk. “Our business is booming,” Amtrak said, hinting at plans to work with President Trump for a “world-class rail system” and predicting its first profit during his term. Demand is up—last year, it served a record 32.8 million passengers and pumped over $4 billion into fixing its aging tracks and trains. In a white paper released Wednesday, Amtrak pushed back on privatization, asking, “What problem does this even solve?” It pointed to soaring Northeast Corridor ridership, new Acela trains hitting 160 miles per hour this year, and record revenue in 2024. The report also nodded to Britain, where a “disastrous” 30-year privatization experiment is now being reversed by the government.