Why are America's trains always running late?

Here's what's wrong with Amtrak — and how to fix it

Illustration by Dustin Elliott

Alan Gore wants to know why Amtrak is almost always late for him. Not just a little bit late, but ridiculously, absurdly, preposterously late. 

Like the time he tried to catch an Amtrak train from Phoenix to Los Angeles. He and his girlfriend arrived before their scheduled 7 p.m. departure.

And they waited. And waited. And waited. 

The train finally pulled…