Travel is quickly becoming more perilous in the United States as Amtrak joins airlines with a growing surge of extensive delays, cancellations, and passenger strandings.

Earlier this week, I happened to find myself stuck on one of those delayed trains for all of Tuesday. After getting home, I discovered that my train was only one of a handful trapped on the same day. In fact, it has been kind of a rough run for Amtrak lately, with many more cancellations and delays in the new year.

At the very start of the new year, Amtrak issued a slew of cancellations in the face of rough weather and the beginning of the Omicron variant surge. The spike in Omicron infections caused enough of a staff shortage to prompt cancellations. The second, more recent bout of winter storms only multiplied the issues that both the rail and airline industries were facing.

While the vast majority of Amtrak's workforce is vaccinated (97%, according to the company), there still appears to be at least some level of concern over staffing shortages. Amtrak told Congress last month that the Biden Administration's vaccine mandate could lead to a swath of cancellations in January. While the company's fears were refusal by some employees to get vaccinated, it would also seem that enough employees are still unvaccinated that even the temporary loss of some to infection could be rough.

The $1 trillion infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden last year contains billions in funding for the beleaguered rail operator. In addition to upgrading its aging equipment, the additional funding could help Amtrak strengthen itself against future shortages.

According to an inspector general report, Amtrak's Human Resources division lacked "sufficient leadership or staff to effectively recruit, screen, hire, and onboard new employees, which will likely hinder the company's plans to add 2,500 to 3,500 new employees." With additional funding, Amtrak could expand its recruitment and training staff to resolve ongoing shortages.