New York, NY —

U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta says Amtrak will have to change dramatically if it is to remain in operation. The secretary's remarks, at a Midtown breakfast for business leaders, come one week after Amtrak's president David Gunn was fired.

REPORTER: The move provoked a bipartisan outcry and accusation that the board was trying to get rid of Amtrak. But Mineta says that's not the case.

MINETA: They are looking for a turnaround CEO and not a liquidator, and I agree.

REPORTER: Mineta said the U.S. government should fund railway infrastructure, but not passenger service. He said that should be funded by states. Critics, including New York senator Charles Schumer, say the plan would endanger passenger rail in the Northeast.