Amtrak 51928 226151960 2008-07-17T01:35:25Z Wongm 245841 format {{Infobox SG rail | railroad_name = Amtrak | logo_filename = Amtrak Logo.svg | logo_size = 300 | system_map = | map_caption = | marks = AMTK, AMTZ | locale = Continental [[United States]], as well as [[Vancouver]], [[Toronto]], and [[Montreal]] | start_year = [[1971]] | end_year = present | predecessor_line = | successor_line = | gauge = | length = | hq_city = [[Washington, D.C.]] }} {{ImageStackRight|320| [[Image:Amtrak-albany-NY.JPG|thumb|300px|Train at [[Albany-Rensselaer (Amtrak station)|Albany-Rensselaer]] station in upstate New York, August 2007.]] [[Image:Amtrak-nj-transit.jpg|thumb|300px|An electric [[Amtrak]] train with two [[EMD AEM-7|AEM-7]] locomotives running through New Jersey on the Northeast Corridor.]] [[Image:Amtrak train.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Vermonter]] in an old livery at the [[Brattleboro (Amtrak station)|Brattleboro, Vermont]], station, [[18 March]] [[2004]].]] }} {{otheruses}} The '''National Railroad Passenger Corporation''', [[doing business as]] '''Amtrak''' {{reporting mark|AMTK and AMTZ}}, is a government-owned corporation that was organized on [[May 1]] [[1971]], to provide [[Inter-city rail|intercity]] [[train#Passenger_trains|passenger train]] service in the [[United States]]. "Amtrak" is a [[portmanteau word|portmanteau]] of the words "American" and "track".<ref name="web-amtrak1">{{cite web |url= http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/Title_Image_Copy_Page&c=am2Copy&cid=1081442674300&ssid=542 |title= Amtrak National Facts |accessdate= 2008-06-12 |publisher= Amtrak }}</ref> All of Amtrak's [[preferred stock]] is owned by the U.S. federal government. The members of its [[board of directors]] are appointed by the [[President of the United States]] and are subject to confirmation by the [[United States Senate]]. [[voting share|Common stock]] was issued in 1971 to railroads that contributed capital and equipment; its current holders<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20061110231722/http://www.house.gov/transportation/rail/04-30-03/04-30-03memo.html Web archive of U.S. House of Representatives report]</ref> consider the stock to be worthless but declined a 2002 buy-out offer by Amtrak.<ref>[http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdoc.cfm?index=4571&type=0&sequence=3#N_21_ ''The Past and Future of U.S. Passenger Rail Service'', sec. 4 n.21] (Sept. 2003).</ref> Amtrak employs nearly 19,000 people. It operates passenger service on 21,000 miles of track primarily owned by freight railroads connecting 500 destinations in 46 states.<ref>[http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/Title_Image_Copy_Page&c=am2Copy&cid=1081442674300&ssid=542 Amtrak Fact Sheet].</ref> Some routes serve [[Canada]]. In [[fiscal year]] 2007, Amtrak served 25.8 million passengers, representing five straight years of record ridership. <ref>[http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/Title_Image_Copy_Page&c=am2Copy&cid=1081442674300&ssid=542 Amtrak Fact Sheet].</ref> Put into a worldwide perspective, the United Kingdom with a population one fifth that of the United States has over a billion rail journeys a year. [http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.1528] The United States has one of the [[Rail usage statistics by country|lowest inter-city rail usages in the developed world]]. ==History== Amtrak's origins are traceable to the sustained decline of private passenger rail services in the [[United States]] from about 1920 to 1970. In 1971, in response to the decline, [[United States Congress|Congress]] and the [[President of the United States|President]] created Amtrak. For its entire existence, the company has been subjected to political cross-winds and insufficiencies of capital resources and owned railway. Recent years have been among Amtrak's brightest; the corporation completed a significant rail project in the northeast in the early 2000s while its major competitors — particularly airlines — were affected by bankruptcies and rising fuel costs. ===Passenger rail service before Amtrak=== [[Image:AmtrakLogo.png|frame|Amtrak's old logo from 1971 to 2000, the "inverted arrow." On [[July 6]], [[2000]] Amtrak unveiled "...a new logo whose shape and suggestion of movement convey the comfort and uniqueness of the rail experience."<ref name="pr-newlogo">{{cite press release | title = Amtrak Introduces Service Guarantee and New Corporate Brand Identity At Event At Los Angeles Union Station | publisher = Amtrak | date = 2000-07-06 | url = http://www.trainweb.com/news/2000g06a.html | accessdate = 2008-06-16 }}</ref> ]] From the middle 1800's until approximately 1920, nearly all intercity travelers in the United States moved by rail. By 1910, close to 100 per cent of intercity passenger trips were by railroad.<ref name=SchaferM>{{cite book |last= Schafer |first= Mike. |title= The American Passenger Train |year= 2001 |publisher= MBI |location= [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]] |isbn= 0760308969 |pages= 20, 97, 99-102, 104, 106, 112, 119 }}</ref> The rails and the trains were owned and operated by private, for-profit organizations. Approximately 65,000 railroad passenger cars operated in 1929.<ref name=CarperR>{{cite book |last= Carper |first= Robert S. |title= American Railroads in Transition; The Passing of the Steam Locomotives |year= 1968 |publisher= A. S. Barnes |location= [[New York City|New York, New York]] |pages= 112-113 }}</ref> For a long time after 1920, passenger rail's popularity diminished and there were a series of pullbacks and tentative recoveries. Rail passenger revenues declined dramatically between 1920 and 1934,<ref name="SchaferM" /> but in the mid-1930s, railroads reignited popular imagination with service improvements and new, diesel-powered [[streamliner]]s, such as the gleaming silver ''[[Pioneer Zephyr]]'' and ''[[Flying Yankee]]''.<ref name="SchaferM" /> Even with the improvements, on a relative basis, traffic continued to erode and by 1940 railroads held 67 per cent of passenger-miles in the United States.<ref name="SchaferM" /> [[World War II]] broke the malaise. During the war, troop movements and restrictions on automobile fuel generated a sixfold increase in passenger traffic from the low point of the Depression.<ref name="SchaferM" /> After the war, railroads rejuvenated overworked and neglected fleets with fast and often luxurious streamliners &mdash; epitomized by the ''[[Super Chief]]'' and ''[[California Zephyr]]'' &mdash; which inspired the last major resurgence in passenger rail travel. In 1948, Santa Fe CEO [[Fred Gurley]] reported a "complete reversal of our passenger traffic picture", with 1947 revenues exceeding those of 1936 by 220%.{{Fact|date=January 2007}} The postwar resurgence was short-lived. In 1946, there remained 45 per cent fewer passenger trains than in 1929,<ref name="SchaferM" /> and the decline quickened despite railroad optimism. Passengers disappeared and so did trains. Between 1946 and 1964, the annual number of passengers declined from 770 to 298 million.{{Fact|date=January 2007}} The number of U.S. commuter trains declined by more than 80 per cent, from more than 2,500 in 1954 to fewer than 500 in 1969.{{Fact|date=January 2007}} Few trains generated profits; most produced losses. Broad-based passenger rail deficits appeared as early as 1948<ref name="SchaferM" /> and by the mid-1950s railroads claimed aggregate annual losses on passenger services of more than $700 million (almost $5 billion in 2005 dollars using CPI).<ref name="CarperR" /><ref name="mw-williamson1">{{cite web |url= http://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/compare/ |title= Six Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount, 1774 to Present |accessdate= 2008-06-16 |last= Williamson |first= Samuel H. |year= 2008 |publisher= MeasuringWorth }}</ref><ref name="icc-hosmer1">{{cite report |title= Railroad Passenger Train Deficit |last= Hosmer |first= Howard |coauthors= et al. |year= 1958 |publisher= Interstate Commerce Commission |docket= 31954 }}</ref> By 1965, only 10,000 rail passenger cars were in operation, 85% fewer than in 1929.<ref name="CarperR" /> Passenger service was provided on only 75,000 miles of track, a stark decline.<ref name="CarperR" /> Passenger rail service in the United States showed the signs of underinvestment. Rail facilities suffered from decrepit equipment, cavernous and nearly empty stations in dangerous urban centers, and management that seemed intent on driving away the few remaining customers. The 1960s also saw the end of [[railway post office]] revenues, which had helped some of the remaining trains break even. ===Causes of decline of passenger rail=== [[Image:Amtrak snack car.jpg|thumb|right|Snack car in an Amtrak train]] The causes of the decline of passenger rail in the United States were complex. The industry was hobbled by government regulation and labor inflexibility, which undermined passenger rail just as the industry faced an explosion of competition from flexible and subsidized automobile and airplane transportation.<ref name="MorganD" /><ref name="SlasonT" /> These for-profit railroads were structured to sell access to elaborate, efficient [[roads]] at a profit; they lost in the competition for passengers to parallel, publicly-funded, non-profit turnpikes, air strips, and highways in the sky. ====Government regulation and labor issues==== The first interruption in passenger rail's vibrancy coincided with government intervention. From approximately 1910 to 1921, the Federal government introduced a populist rate-setting scheme, followed by nationalization of the rail industry for World War I. Ample railroad profits were erased, growth of the rail system was reversed, and railroads massively underinvested in passenger rail facilities during this time.<ref name=SlasonT>Slason Thompson, ''A Short History of American Railways'', Books for Libraries Press: Freeport, NY (1925, reprinted 1971), p. 324-391, 405.</ref> Meanwhile, labor costs advanced, and with them passenger fares, which discouraged passenger traffic just as automobiles gained a foothold.<ref name="SlasonT" /> The primary regulatory authority affecting rail interest from early twentieth century was the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). The ICC played a leading role in rate-setting and intervened in other ways detrimental to passenger rail. In 1947, the ICC ruled that passenger trains could not exceed 79&nbsp;mph (127&nbsp;km/h) without [[Cab signalling|in-cab signaling systems]]; the systems were criticized as being unnecessary and prohibitively expensive; after the regulation, plans to develop intercity [[high-speed rail]] services were shelved.{{Fact|date=January 2007}} In 1958, the ICC was granted authority to allow or reject modifications and eliminations of passenger routes (''train-offs'').<ref>Shafer, Mike, ''supra'' at 125. Previously, individual states made those judgments, and the reform that came about with the Transportation Act of 1958 was intended to streamline the process.</ref> Many routes required beneficial pruning, but the ICC delayed action by an average of eight months and when it did authorize modifications, the ICC insisted that unsuccessful routes be merged with profitable ones. Thus, fast, popular rail service was transformed into slow, unpopular service.<ref name="MorganD" /> The ICC was even more critical of corporate mergers. Many combinations, which railroads sought to compete, were delayed for years and even decades, such as the merger of the [[New York Central Railroad]] and [[Pennsylvania Railroad]], into what eventually became [[Penn Central Transportation|Penn Central]], and the [[Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad]] and [[Erie Railroad]] into the [[Erie Lackawanna Railway]]. By the time the ICC approved the mergers in the 1960s, disinvestments by the federal government, years of deteriorating equipment and station facilities and the flight of passengers to the air and car had taken their toll and the mergers were unsuccessful. At the same time, railroads carried a substantial tax burden. A World War II-era excise tax of 15% on passenger rail travel survived until 1962.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/adaccess/rails-history.html | title=Brief History of the U.S. Passenger Rail Industry}}</ref> Local governments, far from providing needed support to passenger rail, viewed rail infrastructure as a ready source for property tax revenues. In one extreme example, in 1959 the [[Great Northern Railway (U.S.)|Great Northern Railroad]], which owned about a third of one percent (.34%) of the land in [[Lincoln County, Montana]], was assessed more than 91% of all school taxes in the county.<ref name="MorganD" /> Railroads also were saddled with antiquated work rules and an inflexible relationship with [[trade union]]s. Work policies did not adapt to [[technological change]].<ref name="MorganD" /> Average train speeds doubled from 1919 to 1959, but unions resisted efforts to modify their existing 100 to 150 ''mile'' work days. As a result, railroaders' work days were roughly cut in half, from 5-7½ hours in 1919 down to 2½-3¾ hours in 1959. Labor rules also perpetuated positions that had been obviated by technology. Between 1947 and 1957, passenger railroad financial efficiency dropped by 42% per mile. ====Subsidized competition==== While passenger rail faced internal and governmental pressures, new challenges appeared that undermined the dominance of passenger rail: highways and commercial aviation. The passenger rail industry wilted as government backed these potent upstarts with billions of dollars in construction. Beginning roughly in the WWI era, cars became more attainable to most Americans. This newfound freedom and individualization of transit became the norm for most Americans because of the increased convenience. Government actively began to respond with funds from its treasury and later with fuel tax funds to build a non-profit network of roads not subject to property taxation<ref>Wikipedia article on [[Interstate_Highway_System#History|History of Interstate Highways]]</ref> that rivaled and then surpassed the for-profit network that the railroads had built in previous generations with corporate capital and government land grants. All told between 1921 and 1955 governmental entities, using taxpayer money and in response to taxpayer demand, financed more than $93 billion worth of pavement, construction, and maintenance.<ref name=MorganD>Morgan, David P. ''Who Shot the Passenger Train?'' ''Trains'', p.14-15, 20-21 (April, 1959)</ref> In the 1950s, a second and more formidable threat appeared: affordable commercial aviation. Government at many levels supported aviation. Governmental entities built sprawling urban and suburban airports, funded construction of highways to provide access to the airports, and provided air traffic control services. [[Image:metroliner1968.jpg|thumb|right|[[Pennsylvania Railroad]] [[Metroliner]] car, built by Budd, circa 1968]] ===Rail Passenger Service Act=== In the late 1960s, the end of passenger rail in the United States seemed near. First had come the requests for termination of services; now came the [[bankruptcy]] filings. The legendary [[Pullman Company]] became insolvent in 1969, followed by the dominant railroad in the [[Northeastern United States]], the Penn Central, in 1970. It now seemed that passenger rail's financial problems might bring down the railroad industry as a whole. Few in government wanted to be held responsible for the extinction of the passenger train, but another solution was necessary. In 1970, Congress passed and, in a surprise, President [[Richard Nixon]] signed into law, the [[Rail Passenger Service Act]]. Proponents of the bill, led by the [[National Association of Railroad Passengers]] (NARP), sought government funding to assure the continuation of passenger trains. They conceived the '''National Railroad Passenger Corporation''' (NRPC), a hybrid public-private entity that would receive taxpayer funding and assume operation of intercity passenger trains. The original working brand name for NRPC was '''Railpax''', but shortly before the company started operating it was changed to '''Amtrak'''. There were several key provisions: * Any railroad operating intercity passenger service could contract with the NRPC, thereby joining the national system. * Participating railroads bought into the NRPC using a formula based on their recent intercity passenger losses. The purchase price could be satisfied either by cash or rolling stock; in exchange, the railroads received NRPC common stock. * Any participating railroad was freed of the obligation to operate intercity passenger service after [[May 1]] [[1971]], except for those services chosen by the Department of Transportation as part of a "basic system" of service and paid for by NRPC using its federal funds. * Railroads that chose not to join the NRPC system were required to continue operating their existing passenger service until 1975 and thenceforth had to pursue the customary Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) approval process for any discontinuance or alteration to the service. Nearly everyone involved expected the experiment to be short-lived. The Nixon administration and many Washington insiders viewed the NRPC as a politically expedient way for the President and Congress to give passenger trains the one "last hurrah" demanded by the public. They expected Amtrak to quietly disappear as public interest waned.<ref>Luberoff, David. ''Amtrak and the States''. ''Governing Magazine''. p.85 (Nov. 1996).</ref> Proponents also hoped that government intervention would be brief, but their view was that Amtrak would soon support itself. Neither view has yet proved correct. Popular support has allowed Amtrak to continue in operation longer than critics imagined while financial results have made infeasible a return to private operation. ===Early days=== {{main|List of railroads eligible to participate in formation of Amtrak}} Amtrak began operations [[May 1]], [[1971]]. Amtrak's first passenger train, train 173 (Clocker), departed New York Penn Station at 12:05AM on May 1 en route to Philadelphia 30th Street Station with a GG1 inherited from Penn Central.{{Fact|date=July 2008}} The corporation was molded from the passenger rail operations of 20 out of 26 major railroads in operation at the time. The railroads contributed [[rolling stock]], equipment, and capital. In return, they received approval to discontinue their passenger services, and at least some acquired [[voting share|common stock]] in Amtrak. Amtrak received no [[rail tracks]] or [[Right-of-way (transportation)|right-of-way]] at its inception. Railroads that shed passenger operations were expected to host Amtrak trains on their tracks, for a fee. [[Image:Amtrak No 928.jpg|thumb|Amtrak #928, a former [[PRR GG1]], speeds through North [[Elizabeth, New Jersey]] in December 1975.]] There was a period of adjustment. All Amtrak's routes were continuations of prior service, although Amtrak pruned about half the passenger rail network. Of the 364 trains operated previously, Amtrak only continued 182. On trains that continued, to the extent possible, schedules were retained with only minor changes from the ''[[Official Guide of the Railways]]''. Former names largely were continued. Several major corridors became freight-only, including [[New York Central Railroad]]'s ''Water Level Route'' across [[New York]] and [[Ohio]] and [[Grand Trunk Western Railroad]]'s [[Chicago]] to [[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]] service, although service soon returned to the ''Water Level Route'' with introduction of the ''[[Lake Shore Limited]]''. Reduced passenger train schedules created headaches. A 19-hour layover became necessary for eastbound travel on the ''[[Cardinal (passenger train)|James Whitcomb Riley]]'' between [[Chicago]] and [[Newport News, Virginia|Newport News]]. Amtrak inherited problems with stations, most notably [[deferred maintenance]], and redundant facilities resulting from competing companies that served the same areas. On the day it started, Amtrak was given the responsibility of rerouting passenger trains from the seven train terminals in [[Chicago]] (LaSalle, Dearborn, Grand Central, Randolph, Chicago Northwestern Terminal, Central, and Union) into just one, Union Station. In New York Amtrak had to pay to maintain [[Pennsylvania Station (New York City)|Penn Station]] and [[Grand Central Terminal]] because of the lack of track connections to bring trains from upstate New York into Penn Station, a problem not rectified until the building of the [[West Side Line (NYCRR)|Empire Connection]] in 1991. In many cases Amtrak had to abandon service into the huge old ''[[List of Union Stations|Union Station]]s'' such as Cincinnati, Saint Paul, Buffalo, Kansas City, and Saint Louis, and route trains into smaller Amtrak-built facilities down the line (although Amtrak has pushed to start reusing some of the old stations, most recently [[Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal|Cincinnati Union Terminal]], and [[Union Station (Kansas City)|Kansas City Union Station]]). On the other hand, merged operations presented efficiencies such as the combination of three West Coast trains into the ''[[Coast Starlight]]'', running from [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] to [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]]. The ''[[Northeast Corridor]]'' received an ''[[New Haven-Springfield Line|Inland Route]]'' via [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]], [[Massachusetts]], thanks to support from [[New York]], [[Connecticut]] and [[Massachusetts]]. The ''[[North Coast Hiawatha (Amtrak)|North Coast Hiawatha]]'' was implemented as a second [[Pacific Northwest]] route. The [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin|Milwaukee]] to [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]] ''[[Abraham Lincoln (Amtrak)|Abraham Lincoln]]'' and ''[[Prairie State (Amtrak)|Prairie State]]'' routes also commenced. The first all-new Amtrak route, not counting the ''Coast Starlight'', was the ''[[Vermonter]]''/''[[Vermonter|Washingtonian]]''. That route was inaugurated [[September 29]] [[1972]], along [[Boston and Maine Railroad]] and [[Canadian National Railway]] track that had last seen passenger service in 1966. Amtrak soon had the opportunity to acquire railway. Following the bankruptcy of several northeastern railroads in the early 1970s, including Penn Central which owned and operated the [[Northeast Corridor]], Congress passed the [[Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act]] of 1976. A large part was directed to the creation of a [[Consolidated Rail Corporation|Conrail]], but in addition the law enabled transfer to Amtrak of the Northeast Corridor railway from [[Boston, Massachusetts]] to [[Washington, D.C.]] That track became Amtrak's jewel and helped Amtrak generate significant revenues. While the Northeast Corridor ridership and revenues were higher than any other segment of the system, the cost of operating and maintaining the corridor proved to be overwhelming. As a result, Amtrak's federal subsidy increased dramatically. In subsequent years, short route segments not needed for freight operations were transferred to Amtrak. Nevertheless, in general, Amtrak remained dependent on freight railroads for access to most of its routes outside of the northeast. Amtrak fell far short of financial independence in its first decade, but it did find modest success rebuilding trade. Outside factors discouraged competing transport, such as fuel shortages which increased costs of automobile and airline travel, and strikes which disrupted airline operations. Investments in Amtrak's track, equipment and information also made Amtrak more relevant to America's transportation needs.<ref name="washpost-jones1">{{cite news | first = William H. | last = Jones | title = Americans Rediscover The Train; Trains are rediscovered | work = Washington Post | location = Washington, D.C. | page = D8 | date = 1979-05-12 }}</ref><ref name="csm-yemma1">{{cite news | first = John | last = Yemma | title = Years Later, Amtrak is Keeping Riders Won in Gas Pinch | url = http://www.csmonitor.com/1980/0721/072139.html | work = Christian Science Monitor | publisher = [[First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston|First Church of Christ, Scientist]] | location = [[Boston, Massachusetts]] | page = 4 | date = 1980-07-21 | accessdate = 2008-06-12 }}</ref> Amtrak's ridership increased from 16.6 million in 1972 to 21 million in 1981.<ref name=NiceD>{{cite book |last= Nice |first= David C. |title= Amtrak: The History and Politics of a National Railroad |year= 1998 |publisher= Lynne Rienner |location= [[Boulder, Colorado]] |isbn= 1555877346 |pages= 24 }} </ref> === Leaders and political influences=== [[Image:Amtrak Cascades cars.jpg|thumb|[[Amtrak Cascades]] service with tilting [[Talgo]] trainsets in [[Seattle, Washington]].]] [[Image:Amtrak 139 south across Central.jpg|thumb|Amtrak train in downtown [[Orlando, Florida]].]] Unlike many large businesses, subsequent to its formation Amtrak has had only one active investor: the [[federal government of the United States|U.S. government]]. Like most investors, the Federal government has demanded a degree of accountability. Determination of congressional funding and selection of Amtrak's leadership have been infused with political considerations. As discussed below, funding levels and capital support have varied over time. Some members of Amtrak's board have had little or no experience with railroads. Conversely, Amtrak also has benefited from the interest of highly motivated and politically-oriented public servants. For example, in 1982, former [[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]] and retired [[Southern Railway (U.S.)|Southern Railway]] head [[W. Graham Claytor Jr.]], brought his military and railroad experience to the job. Graham Claytor earned distinction as a lawyer (he was president of the Harvard Law Review and law clerk to U.S. Judge Learned Hand and Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis(; as a transportation executive (he joined the Southern as vice president-law in 1963, became president in 1967, and retired in 1977, five years before he took over the command at Amtrak); and as a public servant (he was President Carter's Secretary of the Navy, Deputy Secretary of Defense, and, briefly, Acting Secretary of Transportation, all between his two railroad careers). Claytor came out of retirement to lead Amtrak after the disastrous financial results during the Carter administration (1977-1981)[The Amtrak Story,by Frank Wilner]. He was recruited by then Secretary of Transportation, Drew Lewis and Federal Railroad Administrator Robert Blanchette both Reagan appointees. Despite the fact that Claytor frequently opposed the Reagan Administration over Amtrak funding issues, he was strongly supported by [[John H. Riley]], an attorney who was the highly skilled head of the [[Federal Railroad Administration]] (FRA) under the Reagan Administration from 1983-1989. Secretary of Transportation [[Elizabeth Dole]] also tacitly supported Amtrak. Claytor, the longest serving Amtrak CEO [12 years], clearly enjoyed a good relationship with the Congress and was perceived by many in the rail industry and government to have done an outstanding job of running Amtrak. Due to limited federal funding, Claytor was forced to use short-term debt to keep most of its operations running.<ref name="web-claytor">{{cite web | title=Fortune : Still chugging. (W. Graham Claytor Jr.) (Fortune People) (column) @ HighBeam Research | url=http://static.highbeam.com/f/fortune/october231989/stillchuggingwgrahamclaytorjrfortunepeoplecolumn/ | accessmonthday=November 23 | accessyear=2005 }}</ref> In the 1990s, Claytor was succeeded at Amtrak's helm by a succession of career public servants. First, [[Thomas Downs]], who had overseen the [[Union Station (Washington, D.C.)|Union Station project in Washington, DC]], which experienced substantial delays and cost overruns, assumed the leadership. Amtrak faced a serious cash crisis during 1997. However, Tim Gillespie, Amtrak's highly regarded vice president for government affairs for almost two decades, persuaded Congress to include a provision in the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 that resulted in Amtrak receiving a $2.3 billion tax refund that resolved their cash crisis.[Washington Post, March 18, 1998] In January, 1998, after Amtrak weathered this serious cash shortfall, [[George Warrington]] succeeded Downs. Warrington previously led Amtrak's Northeast Corridor Business Unit. Warrington ran into trouble with Congress and the Administration through lavish spending and extensive borrowing. When he attempted to mortgage Penn Station in New York City he ran into a fire storm of opposition in Congress. Shortly thereafter Warrington stepped down. Then in April, 2002, [[David L. Gunn]] was selected as president. Gunn had a strong reputation as a straightforward and experienced manager. He was not one to shy away from conflict with others. Years earlier (between 1991 and 1994), Gunn's refusal to "do politics" put him at odds with the [[Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority]] board of directors, which included representatives from the District of Columbia and suburban jurisdictions in [[Maryland]] and [[Virginia]]. Gunn was an accomplished public servant and railroad person and his successes before Amtrak earned him a great deal of credibility, despite a sometimes-rough relationship with politicians and labor unions. Gunn was polite but direct in response to congressional criticism of Amtrak, and his tenure was punctuated by successes in reducing layers of management overhead in Amtrak and streamlining operations. Amtrak's Board of Directors removed Gunn on [[November 9]] [[2005]]; he was succeeded by David Hughes, Amtrak's Chief Engineer.<ref name="pr-gunnfired">{{cite press release | title = Amtrak Board Releases Gunn | publisher = Amtrak | date = 2005-11-11 | url = http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/News_Release_Page&c=am2Copy&cid=1093554026306&ssid=180 | accessdate = 2008-06-12 }}</ref> Given Gunn's solid performance, many Amtrak supporters feared that Gunn's departure was Amtrak's death knell, although those fears have not been realized. On [[August 29]] [[2006]], [[Alexander Kummant]] was named as Gunn's permanent replacement effective [[September 12]] [[2006]].<ref name="pr-kummanthired">{{cite press release | title = Veteran Rail and Industrial Executive Alexander Kummant Appointed Amtrak President and CEO | publisher = Amtrak | date = 2006-08-29 | url = http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/News_Release_Page&c=am2Copy&cid=1093554063081&ssid=181 | accessdate = 2008-06-12 }}</ref> The list of ''Presidents'' of Amtrak includes: * [[Roger Lewis (Amtrak)|Roger Lewis]] 1971-.<ref name="pr-rogerlewis">{{cite press release | title = For Immediate Release 554-5700 | publisher = Amtrak | date = 1971-05-19 | url = http://www.amtrakhistoricalsociety.com/bah.htm | accessdate = 2008-06-12 }}</ref> * [[Paul Reistrup]].<ref name"web-reistrup">{{cite web| publisher=Railway and Locomotive Historical Society| url=http://rlhs.org/#Southeast%20Chapter| title=Southeast Chapter| accessdate=2007-08-17| }}</ref> * [[Alan Stephenson Boyd]] -1982.<ref name="Today in FL">{{cite web| url=http://www.flahistory.net/January.htm| title=Today in Florida History for January| accessdate=2007-08-16| }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| journal=Time| title=Ax for Amtrak| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,947026,00.html?promoid=googlep| date=[[1979-03-19]]| accessdate=2007-08-16 }}</ref> * [[W. Graham Claytor Jr.]] 1982-1993.<ref name="csm-shutt1">{{cite news | first = Anne | last = Shutt | title = In Short… | url = http://www.csmonitor.com/1982/0611/061125.html | work = Christian Science Monitor | publisher = [[First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston|First Church of Christ, Scientist]] | location = [[Boston, Massachusetts]] | date = 1982-06-11 | accessdate = 2008-06-12 }}</ref> * [[Thomas Downs]] 1993-1998.<ref name="nyt-tolchin1">{{cite news | first = Martin | last = Tolchin | title = Amtrak Pressing for Capital Funds | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CEEDB153BF935A15751C1A965958260&sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink | work = New York Times | location = [[New York City|New York, New York]] | date = 1993-12-26 | accessdate = 2008-06-12 }}</ref> * [[George Warrington]] 1998-2002.<ref name="ut-field1">{{cite news | first = David | last = Field | title = Amtrak chooses one of its own as president, CEO | work = USA Today | publisher = [[Gannett Company]], Inc. | location = [[McLean, Virginia]] | date = 1998-12-22 }}</ref> * [[David L. Gunn]] 2002-2005.<ref name="nyt-wald1">{{cite news | first = Matthew L. | last = Wald | title = A New York Transit Rescuer Is Hired to Revive Amtrak | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE7DA103EF934A15757C0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink | work = New York Times | location = [[New York City|New York, New York]] | date = 2002-04-27 | accessdate = 2008-06-12 }}</ref><ref name="pr-gunnfired" /> * David Hughes (interim) 2005-2006.<ref name="pr-gunnfired" /> * [[Alexander Kummant]] 2006-present.<ref name="pr-kummanthired" /><ref name="ra-brief1">{{cite journal | year = 2006 | month = September | title = Amtrak names a new president | journal = Railway Age | volume = 207 | issue = 9 | pages = 26 | publisher = Simmons-Boardman Publishing | issn = 0033-8826 }}</ref> === Modern history (1980s to present) === [[Image:Trainpicture400.jpg|thumb|This Amtrak [[GE Genesis|Genesis]] Locomotive No. 29 is sitting in Comstock, Michigan, west of Kalamazoo waiting for a train to pass that is coming from the east in 2008.]] [[Image:AMTK 345 IN Porter.jpg|thumb|A [[Michigan]]-bound Amtrak train passes through [[Porter, Indiana|Porter]], [[Indiana]], after departing from [[Chicago]] in 1993]] [[Image:Acela2007.jpg|thumb|The [[High-speed rail|high-speed]] [[Acela Express]] in [[West Windsor Township, New Jersey]].]] Ridership stagnated at roughly 20 million passengers per year amid uncertain government aid from 1981 to about 2000.<ref name="NiceD" /><ref name="amtrak-annual1999">{{cite |title=1999 Annual Report |publisher=Amtrak }}</ref> Ridership increased in the 2000s after implementation of capital improvements in the Northeast Corridor and rises in automobile fuel costs. Since 2002, Amtrak has had five consecutive years of record ridership. During fiscal year 2007, Amtrak reported more than 25.8 million passengers, its highest total to date.<ref>[http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/Title_Image_Copy_Page&c=am2Copy&cid=1081442674300&ssid=542 Amtrak Fact Sheet].</ref> According to Amtrak, an average of more than 70,000 passengers ride on up to 300 Amtrak trains per day.<ref name="web-amtrak1" /> In the 1990s, Amtrak's stated goal remained ''operational self-sufficiency''. By this time, however, Amtrak had a large overhang of debt from years of underfunding, and in the mid-1990s, Amtrak suffered through a serious cash crunch. To resolve the crisis, Congress issued funding but instituted a ''glide-path'' to financial self-sufficiency, excluding railroad retirement tax act payments.<ref name="scheinberg-test1">{{cite speech | title=Intercity Passenger Rail; Amtrak Faces Challenges in Improving its Financial Condition (Report GAO/T-RCED-00-30) | first=Phyllis F. | last = Scheinberg | date=1999-10-28 | location= House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Ground Transportation | url=http://www.gao.gov/archive/2000/rc00030t.pdf | accessdate=2008-06-12}}</ref> Passengers became "guests" and there were expansions into express freight work, but the financial plans failed. Amtrak's inroads in express freight delivery created additional friction with competing freight operators, including the [[Trucking industry in the United States|trucking industry]]. Delivery was delayed of much anticipated high-speed trainsets for the improved [[Acela Express]] service, which promised to be a strong source of income and favorable publicity along the [[Northeast Corridor]] between Boston and Washington DC. Through the late 1990s and early 2000s, Amtrak could not add sufficient express revenue or cut sufficient other services to break even. By 2002 it was clear that Amtrak could not achieve self-sufficiency, but Congress continued to authorize funding and released Amtrak from the requirement.<ref name="bg-wirzbicki1">{{cite news | first = Alan | last = Wirzbicki | title = Senate votes to increase funding for Amtrak service | url = http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/10/31/senate_votes_to_increase_funding_for_amtrak_service?mode=PF | work = Boston Globe | publisher = [[The New York Times Company]] | location = [[Boston, Massachusetts]] | date = 2007-10-31 | accessdate = 2008-06-12 }}</ref> Amtrak's leader at the time, [[David L. Gunn]], was polite but direct in response to congressional criticism. In a departure from his predecessors' promises to make Amtrak self-sufficient in the short term, Gunn argued that ''no'' form of passenger transportation in the United States is self-sufficient as the economy is currently structured.<ref name="dunn-test1">{{cite speech | title=6/20/02 - Testimony of David Gunn Before Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Related Agencies | first=David L. | last = Gunn | date=2002-06-20 | location= Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Related Agencies | url=http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/Simple_Copy_Page&cid=1081442674364&c=am2Copy&ssid=172 | accessdate=2008-06-12}}</ref> Highways, airports, and air traffic control ''all'' require large government expenditures to build and operate, coming from the [[Federal Highway Trust Fund (United States)| Highway Trust Fund]] and [[Airport and Airway Trust Fund| Aviation Trust Fund]] paid for by user fees, highway fuel and road taxes, and, in the case of the [[General Fund]], by people who own cars and do not.<ref name="rnw-szep1">{{cite news | first = Jason | last = Szep | title = Q&A with Amtrak President Alex Kummant | url = http://www.reuters.com/article/inDepthNews/idUSSIB27628520080612?sp=true | work = Reuters | publisher = [[Thomson Reuters]] | location = [[London]], [[England]] | date = 2008-06-12 | accessdate = 2008-06-14 }}</ref> Before a congressional hearing, Gunn answered a demand by leading Amtrak critic [[Arizona]] Senator [[John McCain]] to eliminate all operating subsidies by asking the Senator if he would also demand the same of the commuter [[airline]]s, upon whom the citizens of Arizona are dependent. McCain, usually not at a loss for words when debating Amtrak funding, did not reply.{{Fact|date=November 2007}} Under Gunn, almost all the controversial express business was eliminated. The practice of tolerating [[deferred maintenance]] was reversed to eliminate a safety issue<ref name"ceeaan-gunn1">{{cite journal | year = 2005 | month = Spring/Summer | title = Amtrak President David Gunn Lectures at UIUC | journal = CEE Alumni Association Newsletter, Online Edition | publisher = CEE Alumni Association | location = University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | url = http://cee.uiuc.edu/alumni/newsletter/p08_krambles.aspx | accessdate = 2008-06-12 }}</ref>. The policies improved labor relations to some extent, even as Amtrak's ranks of unionized and salaried workers thinned.{{Fact|date=November 2007}} Amtrak's current chief, Alexander Kummant, is committed to operating a national rail network, and he does not envision separating the Northeast corridor (the segment from Boston to Richmond) under separate ownership. He has said that shedding the system's long distance routes would amount to selling national assets that are on par with national parks, and that Amtrak's abandonment of these routes would be irreversible. Amtrak is seeking annual congressional funding of $1 billion for ten years. Kummant has stated that the investment is moderate in light of Federal investment in other modes of transportation.<ref name="nyt-wald2">{{cite news | first = Matthew L. | last = Wald | coauthors = Don Phillips | title = Surprising Forecast for Amtrak: Growth | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/23/washington/23amtrak.html?ex=157680000&en=cd6306beec8771d5&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink | work = New York Times | location = [[New York City|New York, New York]] | date = 2006-12-23 | accessdate = 2008-06-12 }}</ref> ==Public funding== [[Image:NBSilverStar.jpg|thumb|Northbound [[Silver Star (Amtrak)|Silver Star]] heading to New York in [[Winter Park, Florida]].]] Amtrak commenced operations in 1971 with $40 million in direct Federal aid, $100 million in Federally insured loans, and a somewhat larger private contribution.<ref> Phillips, Don. ''Railpax Rescue.'' in ''Journey to Amtrak; The year history rode the passenger train''. Ed. Harold A. Edmonson. Milwaukee, WI: Kalmbach Pub. Co., pp. 8-11 (1972).</ref> Officials expected that Amtrak would break even by 1974, but those expectations proved unrealistic and annual direct Federal aid reached a 17-year high in 1981 of $1.25 billion.<ref>$709 million of the 1981 aid package was for operations. The remainder was capital appropriations. Vranich, Joseph. ''Derailed; What Went Wrong and What to Do About America's Passenger Trains''. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, p. 37 (1997).</ref> During the [[Presidency of Ronald Reagan|Reagan administration]], appropriations were halved. By 1986, Federal support fell to a decade low of $601 million, almost none of which were capital appropriations.<ref> National Railroad Passenger Corp. ''Statistical Appendix to Amtrak FY1995 Annual Report'', ''1995 Annual Report, p.1.</ref> In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Congress continued the reductionist trend even while Amtrak expenses held steady or rose. Amtrak was forced to borrow to meet short-term operating needs, and by 1995 Amtrak was on the brink of a cash crisis and was unable to continue to service its debts.<ref>National Railroad Passenger Corp. ''1999 Annual Report'', p.41.</ref> In response, in 1997 Congress authorized $5.2 billion for Amtrak over the next five years — largely to complete the Acela capital project — on the condition that Amtrak submit to the ultimatum of self-sufficiency by 2003 or liquidation.<ref>''Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act of 1997''. 105th Cong. (Jan. 7, 1997). Congressional Budget Office. ''S. 738 Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act'' (July 22, 1997), in ''104th Cong. Senate Report 105-85'' (Sept. 24, 1997).</ref> Amtrak made financial improvements during the period, but ultimately did not achieve self sufficiency. In the aftermath of the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks]], during which Amtrak kept running while airlines were grounded, the value of a national passenger rail service was briefly acknowledged in Washington. But when Congress returned to work following the attacks, the airlines received a $15 billion bailout package, and inattention toward Amtrak resumed.{{Fact|date=November 2007}} In 2004, a stalemate in Federal support of Amtrak forced cutbacks in services and routes as well as resumption of deferred maintenance. In fiscal 2004 and 2005, Congress appropriated about $1.2 billion for Amtrak, $300 million more than President [[George W. Bush]] had requested. However, the company's board requested $1.8 billion through fiscal 2006, the majority of which (about $1.3 billion) would be used to bring infrastructure, rolling stock, and motive power back to a state of good repair. In Congressional testimony, the Department of Transportation's inspector-general confirmed that Amtrak would need at least $1.4 billion to $1.5 billion in fiscal 2006 and $2 billion in fiscal 2007 just to maintain the status quo. In 2006, Amtrak received just under $1.4 billion, with the condition that Amtrak would reduce (but not eliminate) food and sleeper service losses. Thus, dining service were simplified and now require two fewer on-board service workers. Only [[Auto Train]] and [[Empire Builder]] services continue regular made onboard meal service. State governments have partially filled the breach left by reductions in Federal aid. Several states have entered into operating partnerships with Amtrak, notably [[California]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[Illinois]], [[Michigan]], [[Oregon]], [[Missouri]], [[Washington]], [[North Carolina]], [[Oklahoma]], [[Wisconsin]], [[Vermont]], [[Maine]], and [[New York]], as well as the [[Canada|Canadian]] province of [[British Columbia]], which provides some of the resources for the operation of the [[Amtrak Cascades|Cascades]] route. With the dramatic rise in gasoline prices during 2007-2008, Amtrak has seen record ridership. Capping a steady five year increase in ridership overall, regional lines saw 12% year-over-year growth in May, 2008.<ref name="rnw-szep2">{{cite news | first = Jason | last = Szep | coauthors = Eric Beech | title = FACTBOX: Amtrak gets a surge in riders | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN1040708220080611?sp=true | work = Reuters | publisher = [[Thomson Reuters]] | location = [[London]], [[England]] | date = 2008-06-11 | accessdate = 2008-06-14 }}</ref> In October, 2007, the [[United States Senate|Senate]] passed S-294, "Passenger Rail Improvement and Investment Act of 2007" (70-22) sponsored by Senators [[Frank Lautenberg]] and [[Trent Lott]]. Despite a veto threat by President Bush, a similar bill passed the House on June 11, 2008 with a veto-proof margin (311-104).<ref name="ap-karush1">{{cite news | first = Sarah | last = Karush | title = Amtrak funding bill approved by House | url = http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-amtrak0611,0,2335081.story | work = [[Associated Press]] | location = [[Washington, D.C.]] | date = 2008-06-11 | accessdate = 2008-06-14 }}</ref> ===Controversy=== <!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:82069A.jpg|thumb|right|Two Amtrak coaches.]] --> Government aid to Amtrak was controversial from the beginning. The formation of Amtrak in 1971 was criticized as a bailout serving corporate rail interests and union railroaders, not the traveling public. Critics assert that Amtrak has proven incapable of operating as a business and that it does not provide valuable transportation services meriting public support,<ref>Vranich, Joseph. ''End of the Line; The Failure of Amtrak Reform and the Future of America's Passenger Trains'' (2004).</ref> a "mobile money-burning machine."<ref>Wicker, Tom. ''In the Nation; Young David's Tantrum.'' ''The New York Times'', p.A31 (May 3, 1985)</ref> They argue that subsidies should be ended, national rail service terminated, and the Northeast Corridor turned over to private interests. "To fund a ''Nostalgia Limited'' is not in the public interest."<ref>Frailey, Fred W.. ''Can Amtrak Survive the Budget Cutters?'', ''U.S. News and World Report'', p.52 (April 13, 1981).</ref> Critics also question Amtrak's energy efficiency, though <ref name=FedAmtrak>[http://www.heritage.org/Research/Budget/bg2072.cfm Congress Should Link Amtrak's Generous Subsidy to Improved Performance], Ronald D. Utt Ph.D., ''Heritage.org'' September 20, 2007</ref> the U.S. Department of Energy considers Amtrak among the most energy-efficient forms of transportation.<ref>[http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/Title_Image_Copy_Page&cid=1093554056875&c=am2Copy&ssid=565 Amtrak - Inside Amtrak - News & Media - Energy Efficient Travel<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Proponents point out that the government heavily subsidizes the [[Interstate Highway System]] and many aspects of passenger aviation. Massive government aid to those forms of travel was a primary factor in the decline of passenger service on privately owned railroads in the 1950s and 60s. In addition, Amtrak pays property taxes (through fees to host railroads) that highway users do not pay. Advocates therefore assert that Amtrak should only be expected to be as self-sufficient as those competing modes of transit. Along these lines, in a June 12, 2008 interview with Reuters<ref name="rnw-szep1" />, current Amtrak President [[Alex Kummant]] made specific observations: $10 billion per year is transferred from the general fund to the Highway Trust Fund; $2.7 billion is granted to the FAA; $8 billion goes to "security and life safety for cruise ships." Overall, Kummant claims that Amtrak receives $40 in federal funds per passenger, while highways are subsidized at a rate of $500-$700 per automobile. Moreover, Amtrak provides all of its own security, while airport security is a separate federal subsidy. Kummant added: "Let's not even get into airport construction which is a miasma of state, federal and local tax breaks and tax refinancing and God knows what." Critics, on the other hand, claim that gasoline taxes amount to use fees that entirely pay for the government subsidies to the highway system and aviation. In fact this is not true: gas taxes cover little if any of the costs for "local" highways and in many states little of the cost for state highways.<ref>[http://www.midwesthsr.org/news_library_highways.htm Midwest High Speed Rail Association<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://studentbusadvocates.rso.wisc.edu/articles/1kFriendsRoadsFundingMar07.pdf |format=PDF |title=Road, Highway, and Transit Funding in Wisconsin |work=[[1000 Friends of Wisconsin]] |date=2007-03 |accessdate=2008-05-26 }}</ref> They don't cover the property taxes foregone by building tax-exempt roads. They also don't cover policing costs: Amtrak, like all U.S. railroads, pays for its own security, the [[Amtrak Police]]; road policing and the [[Transportation Security Administration]] are paid for out of general taxation. == Labor issues == Intractable positions staked out by labor leaders were blamed for part of the decline of passenger rail service in the early to middle 20th century, and [[labor union]] clout was widely credited with facilitating the creation of Amtrak in 1971.{{Fact|date=November 2007}} Many trade union jobs were saved by the bailout. In recent times, efforts at reforming passenger rail have addressed labor issues. In 1997 Congress released Amtrak from a prohibition on contracting for labor outside of the corporation (and outside its unions), opening the door to privatization.<ref>''Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act of 1997.'' 105th Cong. (Jan. 7, 1997).</ref> Since that time, many of Amtrak's employees have been working without a contract. The most recent contract, signed in 1999, was mainly retroactive. Still, though, the influence of unions is a strong force against change. Amtrak has 14 separate unions to negotiate with, because of the fragmentation of railroad unions by job. And it has 24 separate contracts with those unions.<ref>[http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/934121/sidetracked_negotiations_the_contract_for_nearly_10000_unionized_amtrak_employees/index.html Sidetracked Negotiations: The Contract for Nearly 10,000 Unionized Amtrak Employees Expired on Dec. 31, 1999. Since Then, Talks Have Failed to Make Much Headway - Business - redOrbit<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> This makes it difficult to make substantial changes, in contrast to a situation where one union negotiates with one employer. Current Amtrak president Kummant seems poised to follow a cooperative posture with Amtrak's trade unions. He has ruled out plans to privatize large parts of Amtrak's unionized workforce.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/23/washington/23amtrak.html| author=Matthew Wald and John Philips| title=Surprising Forecast for Amtrak| publisher=New York Times| date=[[2006-12-23]] }}</ref> In late 2007 and early 2008, however, major labor issues came up, a result of a dispute between Amtrak and 16 unions over healthcare, specifically to which employees healthcare should be available to. The dispute was not resolved quickly, and the situation escalated, to the point of President Bush declaring a Presidential Emergency Board to resolve the issues. It was not immediately successful, and a strike was threatened, to begin on January 30th, 2008. In the middle of that month, however, it was announced that Amtrak and the unions had come to terms and January 30th passed without a strike. In late February it was announced that three more unions had worked out their differences, and as of that time it seems unlikely that any more issues will arise in the near future. ==Amtrak operations and services== [[Image:Amtrak acela.png|thumb|300px|right|Map of [[Acela Express]] service on the [[Northeast Corridor]].]] {{main|List of Amtrak routes|List of busiest Amtrak stations}} Amtrak is no longer required by law, but is encouraged, to operate a national route system.<ref>''Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act of 1997.'' 105th Cong., Senate Report 105-85 (Sept. 24, 1997).</ref> Amtrak has some presence in all of the 48 contiguous states except [[Wyoming]] and [[South Dakota]].<ref>[http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/national.pdf PDF route map.]</ref> Service on the [[Northeast Corridor]], between [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], and [[Washington, D.C.]], as well as between [[Philadelphia]] and [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]], [[Pennsylvania]], is powered by overhead wires; for the rest of the system, diesel locomotives are used. Routes vary widely in frequency of service, from three trips weekly on the [[Sunset Limited]], from [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], [[California]], to [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]], to weekday service several times per hour on the Northeast Corridor, from [[New York City]] to Washington, D.C.<ref>[http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/Page/Schedules_Index_Page&c=Page&cid=1080072922206&ssid=3 Amtrak schedule list].</ref> Amtrak also operates a captive bus service, [[Thruway Motorcoach]], which provides connections to train routes. The most-popular and heavily used services are those running on the [[Northeast Corridor]] (NEC), which include the ''[[Acela Express]]'', and ''[[Regional (Amtrak)|Regional]]''. The NEC serves [[Boston, Massachusetts]]; [[New York City]]; [[Philadelphia|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]; [[Washington, D.C.]]; and many communities between. The NEC services accounted for 10.0 million of Amtrak's 25.7 million passengers in fiscal year 2007.<ref>[http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/0709monthly.pdf Amtrak Monthly Performance Report September 2007]</ref> Regional services in California, subsidized by the [[California Department of Transportation]] are the most popular services outside of the NEC and the only other services boasting over one million passengers per annum. The [[Pacific Surfliner]], [[Capitol Corridor]] and [[San Joaquins]] services accounted for a combined 5.0 million passengers in fiscal year 2007.<ref>[http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/0709monthly.pdf Amtrak Monthly Performance Report September 2007]</ref> Four of the six stations busiest by boardings are on Amtrak's NEC: [[Pennsylvania Station (New York City)|New York (Penn Station)]] (first), [[Union Station (Washington, D.C.)|Washington (Union Station)]] (second), [[30th Street Station|Philadelphia (30th Street Station)]] (third), and [[South Station|Boston (South Station)]] (sixth). The other two of the top six are [[Union Station (Chicago)|Chicago (Union Station)]] (fourth) and [[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Los Angeles (Union Station)]] (fifth).<ref>[http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/Title_Image_Copy_Page&c=am2Copy&cid=1081442674300 Amtrak National Facts]. Accessed [[July 2]], [[2008]]. Amtrak's 2007 fiscal year ran from October 2006 to September 2007. Does not include Canada.</ref> Amtrak trains have both names and numbers. Train routes are named to reflect the rich and complex history of the routes and the areas traversed by them. Each scheduled run of the route is assigned a number. Generally, even-numbered routes run northward and eastward, while odd-numbered routes run southward and westward. Some routes, such as the ''[[Pacific Surfliner]]s'', use the opposite numbering system, inherited from the previous operators of similar routes, such as the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway|Santa Fe Railroad]]. Some of the trains used more often: {{Multicol}} '''Northeast''' * ''[[Empire Service (Amtrak)|Empire]]'': [[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]]–[[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]–[[Albany, New York|Albany]]–New York * ''[[Keystone Service|Keystone]]'': [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]]–Philadelphia–New York *''[[Downeaster]]'': [[Portland, Maine|Portland]]–Boston '''Midwest''' * ''[[Hiawatha (Amtrak)|Hiawatha]]'': [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin|Milwaukee]]–[[Chicago]] * ''[[Lincoln Service|Lincoln]]'': Chicago–[[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]] * ''[[Wolverine (passenger train)|Wolverine]]'': Chicago–[[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]]–[[Pontiac, Michigan|Pontiac]] {{Multicol-break}} '''West Coast''' *''[[Pacific Surfliner]]'': [[San Luis Obispo, California|San Luis Obispo]]–[[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]]–[[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]–[[San Diego, California|San Diego]] *''[[Capitol Corridor]]'': [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]]–[[Oakland, California|Oakland]]–[[San Jose, California|San Jose]] *''[[San Joaquins]]'': Oakland–[[Stockton, California|Stockton]]–[[Bakersfield, California|Bakersfield]] & Sacramento–Stockton–Bakersfield *''[[Amtrak Cascades]]'': [[Vancouver]]–[[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]]–[[Portland, Oregon|Portland]]–[[Eugene, Oregon|Eugene]] {{Multicol-end}} ===Rail passenger efficiency versus other modes=== [[Image:Coast Starlight San Jose 01.jpg|thumb|Bi-level [[Superliner (railcar)|Superliner]] cars, used on long-distance routes.]] [[Image:Amtrak California.JPG|thumb|Standard locomotive used for ''Capitol Corridor'' and ''San Joaquins'' service]] [[Image:Surfliner.jpg|thumb|Standard ''Pacific Surfliner'' trainset]] Per passenger mile, Amtrak is 18 percent more energy-efficient than commercial airlines and automobiles, though the exact figures for particular routes depend on load factor along with other variables.<ref>Alex Kummant, "Welcome Aboard!", ''Arrive: The Magazine for Northeast Business Travelers'', p. 8 (Sept./Oct. 2007).</ref> Advanced technology further increases efficiency: [[Regenerative brake#The motor as a brake|regenerative braking]] on the ''Acela Express'', for example, reduces electric-energy consumption by 8 percent. Passenger rail is also competitive with other modes in terms of safety per mile. {| class="wikitable" |- |style="background-color: Lemonchiffon; text-align: center;"|'''Mode'''||style="background-color: Lemonchiffon;; text-align: center;"|'''Revenue per passenger mile<ref>Except where noted, figures are from 2004. {{cite web | title=Table 3-16: Average Passenger Revenue per Passenger-Mile | url=http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_03_16.html | accessdate=2006-11-17 | work=Bureau of Transportation Statistics}}</ref>'''||style="background-color: Lemonchiffon;; text-align: center;"|'''Energy consumption per passenger mile<ref>Except where noted, figures are from 2005. {{cite web | title=Table 4-20: Energy Intensity of Passenger Modes | work=Bureau of Transportation Statistics | accessdate=2006-11-17 | url=http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_04_20.html}}</ref>'''||style="background-color: Lemonchiffon;; text-align: center;"|'''Deaths per 100 million passenger miles<ref>Figures are from 2000. {{Fact|date=May 2008}}</ref>'''||style="background-color: Lemonchiffon;"|'''Reliability<ref>Figures from 2003. {{cite web | title=Table 1-67: Amtrak On-Time Performance Trends and Hours of Delay by Cause | work=Bureau of Transportation Statistics | accessdate=2006-11-17 | url=http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_01_67.html}}; {{cite web | title=Table 1-60: Flight Operations Arriving On Time by the Largest U.S. Air Carriers | work=Bureau of Transportation Statistics | accessdate=2006-11-17 | url=http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_01_60.html}}</ref>''' |- | style="background-color: Lemonchiffon; text-align: center;"| ''Domestic airlines'' ||style="text-align: center;"| 12.0¢ ||style="text-align: center;"| 3,182 [[British thermal unit|BTUs]] ||style="text-align: center;"| 0.02 deaths || 82% |- | style="background-color: Lemonchiffon;; text-align: center;"|''Intercity buses'' ||style="text-align: center;"| 12.9¢<ref>Figures from 2001, latest available</ref> ||style="text-align: center;"| 3,393 BTUs ||style="text-align: center;"| 0.05 deaths ||N<!-- meaning? --> |- | style="background-color: PeachPuff; text-align: center;"|''Amtrak'' ||style="background-color: PeachPuff; text-align: center;"| 26.0¢ ||style="background-color: PeachPuff; text-align: center;"| 2,100 BTUs<ref>Figures from 2001, latest available</ref> ||style="background-color: PeachPuff; text-align: center;"| 0.03 deaths || style="background-color: PeachPuff;"| 74% |- | style="background-color: Lemonchiffon;; text-align: center;"| ''Autos'' ||style="text-align: center;"| N/A ||style="text-align: center;"| 3,458 BTUs || style="text-align: center;"| 0.80 deaths || N/A |} === Intermodal connections === [[Intermodal passenger transport|Intermodal]] connections between Amtrak trains and other transportation are available at many stations. Most Amtrak rail stations in [[Central business district|downtown areas]] have connections to local [[public transport]]. Amtrak also [[Codeshare agreement|code shares]] with [[Continental Airlines]], providing service between [[Newark Liberty International Airport]] (via [[Newark Liberty International Airport (NJT station)|its Amtrak station]] and [[AirTrain Newark]]) and [[30th Street Station|Philadelphia 30th St]], [[Wilmington, Delaware|Wilmington]], [[Stamford, Connecticut|Stamford]], and [[Union Station (New Haven)|New Haven]]. Amtrak also serves airport stations at [[General Mitchell International Airport|Milwaukee]], [[Oakland Coliseum Amtrak/BART Station|Oakland]], [[Bob Hope Airport Train Station|Burbank]], and [[BWI Rail Station|Baltimore]]. Amtrak coordinates [[Thruway Motorcoach]] service to extend many of its routes, especially in [[California]]. ===Gaps in service=== {{main|List of major cities in U.S. lacking Amtrak service}} Outside the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak is a niche player in passenger transportation. In 2003, Amtrak accounted for just 0.1% of U.S. intercity passenger miles (5,680,000,000 out of 5,280,860,000,000 total, of which private-automobile travel makes up the vast majority).<ref>{{cite web | accessdate=2006-11-17 | title=Table 1-37: U.S. Passenger-Miles | work=Bureau of Transportation Statistics | url=http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_01_37.html}}</ref> In fiscal year 2004, Amtrak routes served over 25 million passengers, while, in calendar year 2004, commercial airlines served over 712 million passengers.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bts.gov/press_releases/2006/bts020_06/html/bts020_06.html | title=2005 Total Airline System Passenger Traffic Up 4.6 Percent From 2004 | date=[[April 27]] [[2006]] | accessdate=2006-11-17 | work=Bureau of Transportation Statistics}}</ref> Amtrak provides some rail service in 46 states. The only states that are not served by Amtrak are [[Hawaii]] (in the middle of the [[Pacific Ocean]]), [[Alaska]] (served by the [[Alaska Railroad]]), and [[South Dakota]] (although in years past there was service by the [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad|Milwaukee Road]] to South Dakota, Amtrak has never instituted any service to that state) and [[Wyoming]] (lost rail service in the 1997 cuts, and in early 2008 lost the Denver-Casper motorcoach service). Amtrak serves many states only nominally through stations along borders and/or away from major population areas. Many major cities in the Midwest, West, and South have two or fewer trains per day, such as [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]], [[Denver, Colorado|Denver]], [[Cincinnati, Ohio|Cincinnati]], [[Indianapolis, Indiana|Indianapolis]], and [[Minneapolis-Saint Paul|Minneapolis–Saint Paul]]. Amtrak's reliance on freight railroads also has caused its service elimination. Passenger rail service was entirely discontinued to [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], [[Arizona]], in 1997, after the [[Union Pacific Railroad]], which owns the tracks that served Phoenix, announced that it was abandoning the right of way. Amtrak did not have the funds to maintain the trackage. Today, the city is served only by Thruway Motorcoach. In 1983, the ''[[Palmetto]]'' was truncated from [[St. Petersburg, Florida|St. Petersburg]] to [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]], [[Florida]] because Amtrak was unable to take on the costs of maintaining the [[Seaboard Coast Line Railroad]] drawbridge, which took the train over Tampa Bay. Damage to railroad track caused by [[Hurricane Katrina]] interrupted service on the ''[[Sunset Limited]]''. Originally the train departed from [[Orlando, Florida]], but the track damage along the Gulf coast caused the train to originate at [[New Orleans, Louisiana]]. Although the track's owner, [[CSX]], completed repairs by early 2006, Amtrak service has not resumed over two years later, leaving the intermediate stations between [[Jacksonville, Florida]] and New Orleans without any Amtrak service. Several significant Amtrak routes have been eliminated because of lack of funding since 1971, creating other gaps. The east–west train feeding [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], [[Missouri]], with New York and Washington, D.C., called the [[National Limited]], was cut, leaving [[Chicago]] as the only throughway for direct links between the Midwest and East. The [[North Coast Hiawatha (Amtrak)|North Coast Hiawatha]], between Chicago and [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]], provided only reduced service between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest. The last link with the vaunted [[Chicago]]–[[Florida]] services of such trains as the ''[[City of Miami]]'', the ''[[Dixie Flagler]]'', and the ''[[South Wind]]'', was broken when the ''[[Floridian (Amtrak)|Floridian]]'' was discontinued, in October 1979. In 1997, the [[Desert Wind]] and [[Pioneer]] were discontinued, along with service to [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]], [[Boise, Idaho|Boise]], and all of Wyoming. In 2003, Amtrak discontinued the ''[[Kentucky Cardinal]]'', ending all service to [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]]. In 2005, ''[[Three Rivers (Amtrak)|Three Rivers]]'' (a reborn ''Broadway Limited'') was nixed, removing the only direct New York–Chicago service through central Pennsylvania. === Guest Rewards === Amtrak's loyalty program, [http://www.amtrakguestrewards.com/ Guest Rewards], is similar to the [[Frequent flyer program|frequent-flyer programs]] of many [[airline]]s. Guest Rewards members accumulate points by riding Amtrak and through other activities, and can redeem these points for free or discounted Amtrak tickets and other rewards. ===Freight=== [[Amtrak Express]] provides small-package and less-than-truckload shipping among more than 100 cities. Amtrak Express also offers station-to-station shipment of human remains to many express cities. At smaller stations, funeral directors must load and unload the shipment onto and off the train. Amtrak hauled mail for the United States Postal Service and time-sensitive freight, but discontinued these services in October 2004. On most parts of the few lines that Amtrak owns, [[Arrangements between railroads|trackage-rights]] agreements allow freight railroads to use its trackage. ===Commuter services=== [[Image:SouthStationInterior.jpg|333px|right|thumb|[[South Station]], in [[Boston, Massachusetts]], is a major [[transportation hub]] for interstate Amtrak trains and for the [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority|MBTA]] [[commuter rail]].]] {{main|Commuter rail in North America}} Through various commuter services, Amtrak serves an additional 61.1 million passengers per year in conjunction with state and regional authorities in [[California]], [[Connecticut]], [[Maryland]], [[Virginia]], and [[Washington]]. Amtrak's ''[[Capitol Corridor]]'', ''[[Pacific Surfliner]]'' (formerly ''[[San Diegan]]''), and ''[[San Joaquins]]'' are funded mostly by a state transit authority, [[California Department of Transportation|Caltrans]], rather than the federal government. == Classes of Service == Amtrak has a variety of cabins that suit a variety of needs. Classes are similar to those used by airlines. ''First Class'' service is offered on the ''Acela Express'' only. First Class passengers have access to Amtrak ClubAcela lounges in Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York and Boston (lounges offer complementary drinks, personal ticketing service, lounge seating, conference areas, computer/internet access and televisions tuned to CNN). At the Philadelphia and Washington DC ClubAcelas, passengers can board their train directly from the ClubAcela (In Philadelphia, passenger use an elevator while in Washington, passengers leave through a side door leading to the tracks). Seats are larger than those of Business Class and come in a variety of seating modes (single, single with table, double, double with table and wheelchair accessible). First Class is located in a separate car than the other classes and each train set contains only one First Class car. First Class includes complimentary meal and beverage service along with free newspapers and hot towel service. First Class seats are set in a 1x2 configuration. There are two attendants per car. ''Business Class'' is the minimum class of service on the ''Acela Express'' and is offered as an upgrade on ''Regional'' and other short to long distance trains. Business Class seats are larger than those in coach. Business Class passengers have easy access to the cafe car. they also receive complementary non-alcoholic beverages and free newspapers. Business Class seats all have power outlets for electronics. Business Class seats are located in different areas depending on the train. On some trains, Business Class is located at the front of the Cafe Car. These seats are in a 1x2 style and feature leather upholstery, cup holders and leg rests. These seats also recline to a more "sofa recliner style". The other type of Business Class seat is located in an actual Business Class car. These seats are organized in a 2x2 style and feature more legroom than the coach seats in the other cars. ''Coach Class'' is the minimum class of service on Amtrak trains and includes footrests and decent legroom. Coach seats are set in a 2x2 configuration. ''Sleeper Service'' rooms are considered First Class on long distance trains. Rooms are classified into roomettes, bedrooms, family bedrooms and accessible bedrooms. With the price of a room comes complementary meals and attendant service. At night, rooms turn into sleeping areas with fold down beds and fresh linens. Complementary bottled water, newspapers and turn down service is included as well. Sleeper car passengers have access to the entire train. Sleeper passengers also have access to the Club Acela lounges in stations along the Northeast Corridor and access to the Metropolitan Lounges in Chicago, Miami, New Orleans, and Minneapolis/Saint Paul. ==Trains and tracks== Most tracks on which Amtrak operates are owned by freight railroads. Amtrak operates over all seven [[Class I railroad]]s in the United States, as well as several [[short-line railroad|short line]]s: the [[Pan Am Railways]], [[New England Central Railroad]], and [[Vermont Railway]]. Other sections are owned by [[terminal railroad]]s jointly controlled by freight companies or by [[commuter rail]] agencies. The arrangement has two notable impacts on Amtrak operations. The host railroad is responsible for maintenance and occasionally Amtrak has suffered service disruptions from untimely track rehabilitation. When host railroads have simply refused to maintain their tracks to Amtrak's needs, Amtrak occasionally has been compelled to pay the host to maintain the tracks. Also, Amtrak enjoys priority over the host's freight traffic only for a specified window of time. When a passenger train misses that window, host railroads may (and frequently do) direct passenger trains to follow lumbering freight traffic, severely exacerbating even minor delays. ===Tracks owned by Amtrak=== Along the Northeast Corridor and in several other areas, Amtrak owns 730 route-miles of track (1175 km), including 17 tunnels consisting of 29.7 miles of track (47.8 km), and 1,186 bridges (including the famous [[Hell Gate Bridge]]) consisting of 42.5 miles (68.4 km) of track. Amtrak owns and operates the following lines:<ref>{{cite web | title=Trains.com - Amtrak's Track | url=http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=44882 | accessmonthday=November 23 | accessyear=2005 }}</ref> ====Northeast Corridor==== {{main|Northeast Corridor}} The Northeast Corridor between [[Washington, D.C.]] and [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]] via [[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]], [[Philadelphia]], [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], [[Transportation in New York City|New York]] and [[Providence, Rhode Island]] is largely owned by Amtrak, working cooperatively with several state and regional commuter agencies. Amtrak's portion was acquired in 1976 as a result of the [[Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act]]. *Boston to the Massachusetts/[[Rhode Island]] state line (operated and maintained by Amtrak but owned by the [[Massachusetts|Commonwealth of Massachusetts]]) *118.3 miles (190.4 km), Massachusetts/Rhode Island state line to [[New Haven, Connecticut]] *240 miles (386 km), [[New Rochelle, New York]] to Washington, D.C. The part of the line from New Haven to the New York/Connecticut border ([[Port Chester, New York|Port Chester]]/[[Greenwich, Connecticut|Greenwich]]) is owned by the state of [[Connecticut]], while the portion from Port Chester to New Rochelle is owned by the state of [[New York]]. The [[Connecticut Department of Transportation]] and the [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)|Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] operate this line through [[Metro-North Railroad]]. ====Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line==== {{main|Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line}} This line runs from Philadelphia to [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]]. As a result of an investment partnership with the [[Commonwealth of Pennsylvania]], signal and track improvements were completed in October 2006, and now allow all-electric service with a top speed of 110 mph (about 175 km/h) to run along the corridor. *104 miles (167 km), Philadelphia to Harrisburg (''[[Pennsylvanian (Amtrak)|Pennsylvanian]]'' and ''[[Keystone Service]]'') ====Empire Corridor==== {{main|Empire Corridor}} *11 miles (18 km), [[Pennsylvania Station (New York City)|New York Penn Station]] to [[Spuyten Duyvil, Bronx|Spuyten Duyvil, New York]] *35.9 miles (57.8 km), [[Stuyvesant, New York|Stuyvesant]] to [[Schenectady, New York]] (operated and maintained by Amtrak, but owned by [[CSX]]) *8.5 miles (13.8 km), Schenectady to [[Hoffmans, New York]] ====New Haven-Springfield Line==== {{main|New Haven-Springfield Line}} *60.5 mi (97.4 km), [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]] to [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]] (''[[Regional (Amtrak)|Regional]]'' and ''[[Vermonter]]'') ====Other tracks==== *[[Chicago-Detroit Line]] - 98 miles (158 km), [[Porter, Indiana]] to [[Kalamazoo, Michigan]] (''[[Wolverine (passenger train)|Wolverine]]'') *[[Post Road Branch]] - 12.42 miles (20 km), [[Post Road Junction]] to [[Rensselaer, New York]] (''[[Lake Shore Limited]]'') Amtrak also owns station and yard tracks in [[Chicago]]; [[Hialeah, Florida|Hialeah]] (near [[Miami, Florida|Miami]], [[Florida]]) (leased from the State of Florida); [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]; [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]]; [[New York City]]; [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] (Kirkham Street Yard); [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]]; [[Portland, Oregon]]; [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]]; [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]]; and [[Washington, D.C.]] Amtrak owns the [[Chicago Union Station Company]] ([[Union Station (Chicago)|Chicago Union Station]]) and Penn Station Leasing ([[Pennsylvania Station (New York City)|New York Penn Station]]). It has a 99.7% interest in the [[Washington Terminal Company]]<ref>[http://www.secinfo.com/dRqWm.3113.htm SEC Info - A/P I Deposit Corp · S-3 · On 1/11/02]</ref> (tracks around [[Union Station (Washington, D.C.)|Washington Union Station]]) and 99% of [[30th Street Limited]] (Philadelphia [[30th Street Station]]). Also owned by Amtrak is Passenger Railroad Insurance.<ref>{{cite web | title=Email FS - FY02.xls | url=http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/02financial.pdf | accessmonthday=November 23 | accessyear=2005 }}</ref> '''Other infrastructure''': {{Multicol}} * [[Freedom Tunnel]] * [[Livingston Avenue Bridge]] {{Multicol-break}} * [[Morrisville-Trenton Railroad Bridge|Morrisville-Trenton RR Bridge]] * [[New York Tunnel Extension]] {{Multicol-break}} * [[North River Tunnels]] * [[Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor|Southeast HSR Corridor]] {{Multicol-break}} * [[Sunnyside Yard]] {{Multicol-end}} ===Motive power and rolling stock=== {{main|Amtrak rolling stock}} ==See also== {{commonscat|Amtrak}} <div style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;"> * [[Amtrak paint schemes]] * [[Amtrak Arrow Reservation System]] * [[Amtrak Police]] * [[Amtrak California]], partnership with ** [[California Department of Transportation|Caltrans]] * [[Amtrak Cascades]], partnership with ** [[Washington State Department of Transportation|Washington State DOT]] ** [[Oregon Department of Transportation]] * [[List of Amtrak stations]] * [[Positive Train Control]] * [[Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati]] * [[Superliner (railcar)]] * [[Thruway Motorcoach]] ''Rail&nbsp;Companies&nbsp;of&nbsp;Interest * [[Amtrak (parcel delivery company)]] (UK) * [[Auto-Train Corporation]] &mdash; Pioneer of car-on-train service. ** [[Auto Train|Amtrak's Auto Train]]. * [[Mid America Railcar Leasing]] * [[VIA Rail]] ''Rail&nbsp;Disasters * [[1995 Palo Verde derailment]] * [[1999 Bourbonnais train accident]] * [[Chase, Maryland rail wreck]] * [[Big Bayou Canot train disaster]] </div> ==References== {{reflist|2}} == Other sources == <div class="references-small"> {{Multicol}} * ''Amtrak System Timetable, Fall 2004/Winter 2005'' * {{cite book|author=Solomon, Brian|year=2004|title=Amtrak|publisher=MBI Publishing Company, St. Paul, MN|id=ISBN 0-7603-1765-8}} * {{cite book|author=Edmonson, Harold A.|year=1972|title=Journey to Amtrak - The year history rode the passenger train|publisher=Kalmbach Books, Milwaukee, WI|id=ISBN 0-89024-023-X}} * {{cite book|author=Zimmermann, Karl R.|year=1981|title=Amtrak at Milepost 10|publisher=PTJ Publishing (Passenger Train Journal), Park Forest|id=ISBN 0-937658-06-5}} {{Multicol-break}} * {{cite web | title=GAO-06-145 Amtrak Management: Systemic Problems Require Actions to Improve Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Accountability | url=http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d06145.pdf | accessmonthday=November 23 | accessyear=2005 }} * Mike Schafer, Amtrak's atlas, ''[[Trains (magazine)|Trains]]'' June 1991 * Kevin McKinney, At the dawn of Amtrak, ''[[Trains (magazine)|Trains]]'' June 1991 {{Multicol-end}} </div> ==External links== {{Multicol}} '''Pro-Amtrak advocacy'''<br /> ''National'' *[http://www.narprail.org/ National Association of Railroad Passengers] *[http://www.trainweb.org/crocon/amtrak.html Friends of Amtrak] *[http://www.saveamtrak.net/ Save Amtrak] *[http://www.unitedrail.org United Rail Passenger Alliance] *[http://www.usa-by-rail.com USA by Rail] ''Regional'' *[http://www.azrail.org/ Arizona Rail Passenger Association] *[http://www.railpac.org/ Rail Passenger Association of California (RailPAC)] *[http://www.colorail.org/ Colorado Rail Passenger Association (known as Colorail)] *[http://www.passengerrailok.org/prk.htm Passenger Rail Kansas] *[http://www.marp.org/ Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers] *[http://www.saveourtrainsmichigan.com Save Our Trains Michigan] *[http://www.saveourtrainsmississippi.com Save Our Trains Mississippi] *[http://www.nj-arp.org/ New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers] *[http://www.esparail.org/ Empire State Passengers Association (NY)] *[http://www.dvarp.org Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers (southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and other areas in or near the Delaware Valley)] *[http://www.passengerrailok.org PassengerRailOk.org (Oaklahoma)] '''Amtrak criticism''' *[http://www.csmonitor.com/specials/amtrak/index.html?s=spusa All Aboard?] - via http://CSMonitor.com<!--wikEdListBlock--> {{Multicol-break}} '''Current information''' <!-- Before continuing to add and revert the link to Amtrak.mobi, perhaps you might consider opening a talk item about it? --> *[http://www.amtrak.com/ Amtrak.com] **[http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/Title_Image_Copy_Page&c=am2Copy&cid=1093554048998 Amtrak Route Atlas] **[http://www.amtrakcascades.com/ Amtrak Cascades Corridor] **[http://www.amtrakcapitols.com/ Amtrak Capitol Corridor] **[http://www.amtrakcalifornia.com/ Amtrak California] **[http://www.mitrain.com/ Amtrak Michigan Services] *[http://www.amtrakguestrewards.com/ Amtrak Guest Rewards] *[http://www.amtrakdelays.com Check Amtrak Delays] *[http://www.railserve.com/railnews/amtrak_news.html Amtrak News] *[http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=569629 Amtrak route ownership] *[http://www.trainweb.org/amtrakphotos/ Current Amtrak route photos] *[http://www.on-track-on-line.com/amtrak-freqs.shtml Amtrak Radio Frequencies] (includes information on the owners of the tracks) *[http://www.railcritic.com Rail Critic] *[http://www.railserve.com/amtrak_coupons.html Amtrak Coupons, Discounts & Promotions] *[http://mapmash.googlepages.com/amtrak.html Amtrak Routes on Google Maps] {{Multicol-break}} '''History''' *[http://www.amtrakhistoricalsociety.com/ Amtrak Historical Society] *[http://hebners.net/amtrak/ Amtrak Photo Archives] *[http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/001/123clbam.asp Amtrak's beginnings] - via http://Trains.com<!--wikEdListLine--> *[http://www.trains.com/ctr/objects/pdf/passenger_trains_operating_on_the_eve_of_amtrak.pdf Trains Operating on the Eve of Amtrak (1971-04-30)] *[http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Amtk/routes_1971.html Amtrak's First Trains & Routes (1971-05-01)] *[http://groups.google.com/group/bit.listserv.railroad/msg/71c75eb00db0da08?hl=en Amtrak timetable, 1971-11-14] *[http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/arc/ Amtrak Reform Council] an archived website hosted by the UNT Libraries [http://digital.library.unt.edu/browse/department/govdocs/cybercemetery/ Cyber Cemetery] {{Multicol-end}} {{Amtrak routes}} {{North America class I}} [[Category:Amtrak| ]] [[Category:1971 establishments]] [[Category:Alabama railroads]] [[Category:Arizona railroads]] [[Category:Arkansas railroads]] [[Category:British Columbia railways]] [[Category:California railroads]] [[Category:Chicago railroads]] [[Category:Colorado railroads]] [[Category:Connecticut railroads]] [[Category:Delaware railroads]] [[Category:Washington, D.C. railroads]] [[Category:Florida railroads]] [[Category:Georgia (U.S. state) railroads]] [[Category:Idaho railroads]] [[Category:Illinois railroads]] [[Category:Indiana railroads]] [[Category:Iowa railroads]] [[Category:Kansas railroads]] [[Category:Kentucky railroads]] [[Category:Louisiana railroads]] [[Category:Maine railroads]] [[Category:Maryland railroads]] [[Category:Massachusetts railroads]] [[Category:Michigan railroads]] [[Category:Minnesota railroads]] [[Category:Mississippi railroads]] [[Category:Missouri railroads]] [[Category:Montana railroads]] [[Category:Nebraska railroads]] [[Category:Nevada railroads]] [[Category:New Hampshire railroads]] [[Category:New Jersey railroads]] [[Category:New Mexico railroads]] [[Category:New York railroads]] [[Category:North Carolina railroads]] [[Category:North Dakota railroads]] [[Category:Ohio railroads]] [[Category:Oklahoma railroads]] [[Category:Ontario railways]] [[Category:Open Travel Alliance]] [[Category:Oregon railroads]] [[Category:Pennsylvania railroads]] [[Category:Quebec railways]] [[Category:Rhode Island railroads]] [[Category:South Carolina railroads]] [[Category:Tennessee railroads]] [[Category:Texas railroads]] [[Category:Utah railroads]] [[Category:Vermont railroads]] [[Category:Virginia railroads]] [[Category:Washington railroads]] [[Category:West Virginia railroads]] [[Category:Wisconsin railroads]] [[Category:Wyoming railroads]] [[Category:Government-owned companies in the United States]] [[Category:Passenger rail transport in the United States]] [[Category:Passenger railroads in the United States]] [[bg:Амтрак]] [[ca:Amtrak]] [[da:Amtrak]] [[de:Amtrak]] [[es:Amtrak]] [[fr:Amtrak]] [[gl:Amtrak]] [[ko:암트랙]] [[id:Amtrak]] [[it:Amtrak]] [[hu:Amtrak]] [[nl:Amtrak]] [[ja:アムトラック]] [[no:Amtrak]] [[pl:Amtrak]] [[pt:Amtrak]] [[fi:Amtrak]] [[sv:Amtrak]] [[zh:美鐵]]