CHANGE: GOP Anti-Spenders At Work: After $45 Billion In Wasted Amtrak Subsidies, House Approves $7 Billion More. “Despite generous taxpayer subsidies, Amtrak has run operating losses every year since it began operating in 1971. Although these losses are declining, in 2014, the railroad reported what it described as a ‘strong‘ [PDF] result, with an operating loss of only $227 million.”