Rail passengers in America have criticised a plan to "privatise Amtrak".

The country's prime inter-city route from Washington to New York and Boston could be taken away from Amtrak and handed over to private companies.

The idea comes from two Republican politicians John Mica and Bill Shuster as a way of introducing faster trains more quickly.

But Democrat Senator Frank Lautenberg warns that the plan would lead to higher fares.

There are, however, ways that private companies could help Amtrak deliver a better service, said Ross Capon of the National Association of Railroad Passengers.

He said: "A private sector consortium could profit from selling power both to the railroad and to utilities along the route."

He warned though that private operators might find it difficult to gain access to rail tracks at competitive rates and he challenged Mr Mica's portrayal of Amtrak as bungling.

The route is electrified, and carries large numbers of people on its frequent services, unlike most other rail lines in America.

Amtrak runs Acela Express trains on the route, the fastest trains in the USA, which runs parallel with Interstate 95, a road which was built with money from federal taxes on railways.

Mr Mica represents Orlando, Florida, whose Republican governor has recently blocked plans to build a high-speed rail line in the state.

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