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Amtrak

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Railway transport

                                      Amtrak
                                      logo
    Reporting marks   AMTK, AMTZ
         Locale       Continental United States, as well as routes to Vancouver,
                      Toronto, and Montreal
   Dates of operation 1971 – present
      Track gauge     4  ft 8½  in (1435  mm) ( standard gauge)
      Headquarters    Washington, D.C.
   Acela Express in West Windsor, NJ
   Enlarge
   Acela Express in West Windsor, NJ
   Amtrak Cascades service with tilting Talgo trainsets in Seattle,
   Washington
   Enlarge
   Amtrak Cascades service with tilting Talgo trainsets in Seattle,
   Washington
   Amtrak train in downtown Orlando, Florida
   Enlarge
   Amtrak train in downtown Orlando, Florida

   Amtrak ( AAR reporting mark AMTK and AMTZ) is the brand name of the
   United States' intercity passenger train system created on May 1, 1971.
   Officially known as the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, the
   name "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "American" and "track."

   Amtrak is a quasi-governmental agency; all of its preferred stock is
   owned by the federal government. The members of Amtrak's board of
   directors are appointed by the President of the United States, and are
   subject to confirmation by the United States Senate. Some common stock
   is held by the private railroads that transferred their passenger
   service to Amtrak in 1971. Though Amtrak stock does not pay dividends
   and is not routinely traded, a small number of private investors have
   purchased Amtrak stock from its original owners.

   Amtrak employs over 19,000 people. The nationwide network of 22,000
   miles (35,000 km) of routes serves 500 communities in 46 states of the
   United States, with some of the routes serving communities in Canada.
   In fiscal year 2005, Amtrak served over 25.3 million passengers, a
   company record.

History

Passenger rail service before Amtrak

   Between 1870 and 1916, the total track mileage of U.S. railroads grew
   from 53,000 to 245,000 miles (85,000 to 394,000 km); during the same
   period, key technological innovations (including standard gauge track,
   more powerful locomotives, air brakes, signaling systems, and steel
   passenger cars) brought significant improvements in the safety and
   speed of rail travel. By 1910, railroads handled 95% of all intercity
   travel in the U.S. Peak volume of passenger rail travel was reached in
   1920, when 1.2 billion passengers were carried.

   Even in the 1920s, railroads faced increasing competition for rail
   passengers from automobiles and buses, which used an expanding network
   of paved roads, many built with governmental funding. By 1929,
   intercity rail transportation had declined by 18%. A major casualty was
   passenger service on branch lines, which were increasingly subject to
   abandonment as total track mileage began a long, steady decline. As
   automobiles and buses took the place of passenger trains on short- and
   medium-haul trips, railroads lost the feeder services that had formerly
   brought throngs of passengers to their intercity services.

   Although passenger rail travel declined further during the Great
   Depression, new, diesel-powered streamliners, beginning with 1934's
   gleaming silver Pioneer Zephyr, brought many travelers back to the
   rails; in 1939, when 90 streamliners were in operation nationally,
   passenger travel had increased 38% from the 1932 level.

   During World War II, restrictions on automobile fuel use and troop
   movements led to explosive growth in passenger rail travel. The
   railroad companies had to scramble to find enough equipment to meet the
   demand.

   After the war, many railroad executives believed that — despite
   competition from automobiles and the then-nascent airline industry — a
   profitable market existed for intercity passenger rail travel.
   Thousands of gleaming, streamlined passenger cars were ordered, and a
   fleet of fast, beautiful, and often luxurious streamliners — epitomized
   by the Super Chief and California Zephyr — inspired an impressive
   resurgence in passenger rail travel. In 1948, Santa Fe CEO Fred G.
   Gurley reported a "complete reversal of our passenger traffic picture,"
   with 1947 revenues exceeding those of 1936 by 220%. Inspired by
   America's technological leadership in passenger train design, railroads
   in Europe and Japan launched new, high-speed streamlined services
   expressly modeled on American innovations.

   The resurgence of passenger rail service in the U.S. proved to be
   short-lived. Although a few of the leading trains continued to generate
   modest profits through the 1950s and early 1960s, passengers
   disappeared in droves, and so did the trains. Between 1946 and 1964,
   the number of passengers carried per year declined from 770 to 298
   million. In 1954, U.S. railroads operated more than 2,500 intercity
   (non-commuter) passenger trains; by 1969, there were fewer than 500. By
   1970, with only a few exceptions, U.S. passenger rail service had
   declined to what can only be described as a miserable state: decrepit
   equipment, cavernous and nearly empty stations in dangerous urban
   centers, and management that seemed intent on driving away their few
   remaining customers. Even some of the most highly efficient
   private-sector railroads such as the Norfolk and Western Railway could
   not earn a profit or even recover the direct operating expenses for
   passenger service.

   The rise of commercial aviation and the Interstate Highway System
   beginning in the 1950s, the former heavily subsidized by taxpayers and
   the latter funded by gas taxes, drew would-be passengers away. However,
   intercity bus services also saw declines in ridership despite the
   efficiencies of the new Interstate Highway System. For ground
   transportation, more and more Americans chose the flexibility,
   convenience and privacy of personal transportation by automobile over
   public transportation by rail or bus. The 1960s also saw the end of
   railway post office revenues, which had helped some of the remaining
   trains break even despite the dearth of passengers.

   At the same time, the U.S. Federal government maintained regulatory
   policies that were unfavorable for passenger service:
     * In 1947, the U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) ruled that
       passenger trains could not exceed 79 mph (127 km/h) without special
       in-cab signaling systems; railroads complained that such systems
       were not needed outside a few congested intercity corridors and
       that they would have to spend the equivalent of a half billion
       dollars to comply with the regulation. As a result, plans to
       develop high-speed intercity services were shelved.
     * A World War II-era excise tax of 15% on passenger rail travel was
       not repealed when the war ended; it survived until 1962.

   The National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) was formed in
   1967 to lobby for government funding to assure the continuation of
   passenger trains. Its lobbying efforts were hampered somewhat by
   opposition of the Democratic Party to any sort of subsidies to the
   privately owned railroads, and Republican Party opposition to the
   nationalization of the railroad industry. The proponents were aided by
   the fact that few in the federal government wanted to be held
   responsible for the seemingly-inevitable extinction of the passenger
   train, which most regarded as tantamount to political suicide. The
   urgency of the need to solve the passenger train problem was heightened
   by the bankruptcy filing of the Penn Central, the dominant railroad in
   the Northeastern United States, on June 21, 1970.

Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970

   Under the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, Congress created the
   National Railroad Passenger Corporation (NRPC) to subsidize and oversee
   the operation of intercity passenger trains. The Act provided that
     * Any railroad operating intercity passenger service could contract
       with the NRPC, thereby joining the national system.
     * Participating railroads bought into the new corporation 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 Amtrak 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 Amtrak 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.

   While it appeared for some time that President Richard M. Nixon would
   veto the legislation, ultimately it was signed into law on October 30,
   1970. The original working brand name for NRPC was Railpax, but shortly
   prior to the company's assumption of intercity rail passenger
   operations, the name was changed to Amtrak.

   At the time, many Washington insiders, including President Nixon and
   his aides, viewed the corporation as a face-saving way for the
   President and Congress to give passenger trains the one "last hurrah"
   demanded by the public, but expected that the NRPC would quietly
   disappear in a few years as public interest waned. However, while
   Amtrak's political and financial support have often been shaky, popular
   and political support for Amtrak has allowed it to survive long past
   its expected lifetime.

Early days

   At Amtrak's startup, 20 out of the 26 eligible railroads had elected to
   join the Amtrak system:
    1. Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
    2. Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (no service until the West Virginian
       began September 8, 1971)
    3. Burlington Northern Railroad
    4. Central of Georgia Railway (has never hosted Amtrak service)
    5. Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
    6. Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
    7. Chicago and North Western Railway (has never hosted Amtrak service)
    8. Delaware and Hudson Railway (no Amtrak service until the Adirondack
       began August 6, 1974)
    9. Grand Trunk Western Railroad (no Amtrak service until the Blue
       Water Limited began September 15, 1974)
   10. Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad
   11. Illinois Central Railroad
   12. Louisville and Nashville Railroad
   13. Missouri Pacific Railroad
   14. Norfolk and Western Railway (no Amtrak service until the
       Mountaineer began March 25, 1975)
   15. Northwestern Pacific Railroad (has never hosted Amtrak service)
   16. Penn Central Transportation
   17. Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad
   18. Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
   19. Southern Pacific Railroad
   20. Union Pacific Railroad

   The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, Chicago South Shore and
   South Bend Railroad, Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, Georgia
   Railroad, Reading Company and Southern Railway continued to run their
   own intercity trains after the Amtrak startup date. The Alaska Railroad
   provided long-distance service, but was already owned by the federal
   government. In addition, the Canadian Pacific Railway's Atlantic, taken
   over by VIA Rail in 1978, crossed northern Maine until 1994, and for a
   time another Canadian local service crossed part of northern Minnesota
   just south of the international border.

   Amtrak began operations May 1, 1971 on a system about half the size of
   that operated the previous day. Several major corridors, including the
   New York Central Railroad's Water Level Route across Ohio and the Grand
   Trunk Western Railroad's Chicago-Detroit line, became freight-only in
   favour of parallel lines. A 19-hour layover at Cincinnati was necessary
   for eastbound Chicago- Newport News travelers on the James Whitcomb
   Riley and George Washington. On the other hand, Amtrak's Coast
   Starlight (named November 14) was a first, running along the west coast
   from San Diego to Seattle, combining three separate trains operated by
   three railroads into one.

   The first timetable was compiled from former Official Guide of the
   Railways schedules with only minor changes. Former names were kept, and
   some trains were unnamed at first. By the July 12 timetable, service
   had returned to the Water Level Route with the Lake Shore (named
   November 14), and the Northeast Corridor received an Inland Route via
   Springfield, Massachusetts, thanks to money from New York, Ohio and
   Massachusetts. Due to pressure from Senator Mike Mansfield of Montana,
   the North Coast Hiawatha was implemented as a second route to the
   Pacific Northwest. The first all-new timetable was dated November 14,
   1971, and included several name changes and names for most of the
   formerly unnamed trains. New numbers were also assigned to all trains.
   Another barrier, at Chicago, was broken with the Milwaukee- St. Louis
   Abraham Lincoln and Prairie State.
   Amtrak #928, a former PRR GG1, speeds through North Elizabeth, New
   Jersey in December, 1975.
   Enlarge
   Amtrak #928, a former PRR GG1, speeds through North Elizabeth, New
   Jersey in December, 1975.

   The Southern joined on February 1, 1979, when its Southern Crescent
   became Amtrak's Crescent. The D&RGW last operated its Rio Grande Zephyr
   April 25, 1983, and Amtrak's San Francisco Zephyr was renamed the
   California Zephyr. The Zephyr's rerouting onto the scenic D&RGW was
   delayed by a mudslide at Thistle, Utah and did not take place until
   July 15, 1983. The bankrupt CRI&P ran its last intercity passenger
   trains (the Chicago- Peoria Peoria Rocket and the Chicago- Rock Island
   Quad Cities Rocket) on December 31, 1978. The last Georgia Railroad
   mixed train was operated May 6, 1983 by the Seaboard System Railroad.
   The Reading Philadelphia- Newark Penn Station service stayed around
   into Conrail and was discontinued in 1983. CSS&SB trains still operate,
   now by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District. Both the
   Reading and CSS&SB operations qualified as intercity passenger service,
   but were fundamentally longer-than-average distance commuter train
   operations.

   Except for the joining of routes through Oakland, California to create
   the continuous Coast Starlight, all Amtrak services on day one were
   continued from pre-Amtrak operations. The first all-new Amtrak route,
   in other words a route that had not been operated immediately prior to
   Amtrak, was the Montrealer/ 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 did not own any track in its original conception. Following the
   bankruptcy declaration of several northeastern railroads in the early
   1970s — particularly that of Penn Central, which owned and operated the
   Northeast Corridor, Congress passed the Railroad Revitalization and
   Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 to create a consolidated, federally
   subsidized freight network called Conrail. As part of this legislation,
   the vital Northeast Corridor passenger route was transferred to Amtrak.
   In subsequent years, various short route segments needed for passenger
   operations but not for freight were transferred to Amtrak ownership.
   However, the majority of Amtrak's routes are hosted by private freight
   railroads, to which Amtrak pays the costs of adding its passenger
   trains.

   The host railroads supplied the rolling stock and operating crews in
   1971 when Amtrak commenced operations. Amtrak soon purchased the best
   of the railroad equipment and subsequently has purchased new equipment.
   Today, Amtrak trains are staffed by Amtrak employees but, other than on
   the routes that Amtrak owns outright, are dispatched by the host
   railroads on whose tracks these trains operate.

   The fuel shortages of the mid-1970s discouraged travel on the nation's
   highways, and higher costs for aviation fuel increased air fares. Both
   these effects renewed interest in passenger rail travel. Given that
   railroads use fuel very efficiently, passenger rail travel no longer
   seemed quite so outmoded. Consequently, Amtrak's ridership began to
   increase. Another short-lived rebound in ridership occurred after the
   September 11, 2001 attacks.

Conflicting goals

   Amtrak Train at the Brattleboro, Vermont, station, 18 March 2004.
   Enlarge
   Amtrak Train at the Brattleboro, Vermont, station, 18 March 2004.

   Amtrak was established to relieve railroads of their federally mandated
   responsibility to transport passengers as a priority over freight. This
   was causing increasingly large financial losses for the railroads as
   the networks of federally funded highways and airports expanded and
   rail ridership levels plunged. From the outset, Amtrak was expected to
   pursue conflicting goals: Amtrak was supposed to continue providing a
   national rail passenger service in the face of a continuing trend of
   significantly diminished demand and passenger revenue, while
   simultaneously operating as a self-supporting and theoretically
   profitable commercial enterprise.

   Amtrak is in many ways dependent on freight railroads. As it owns
   little track, it must rely on maintenance done by the freight owners,
   and sometimes has to cancel service over routes taken out of service by
   the host freight railroad (as occurred with service to Phoenix,
   Arizona) or pay to maintain the tracks.

Politically appointed leaders and congressional funding

   Without a dedicated source of capital equipment and operating funding
   (except for competitive passenger fares and even less express income),
   Amtrak's continued operation has always been dependent upon the
   Executive and Legislative branches of the U.S. government. Both
   congressional funding and appointments of Amtrak's leaders are subject
   to political considerations, which have varied widely during its
   existence through seven U.S. presidencies and major shifts of power in
   the U.S. Congress. Political pressures extend to Amtrak's very route
   structure. As with any federally supported activity, the more states
   and congressional districts served, the more political support in
   Congress.

   Because Amtrak's board and president are all political appointees, some
   have had little or no experience with railroads. However, Amtrak has
   also benefited from both highly skilled and politically oriented
   leaders.

   For example, in 1982, former U.S. Secretary of the Navy and retired
   Southern Railway head W. Graham Claytor Jr. brought his naval and
   railroad experience to the job. Claytor had served briefly as an acting
   U.S. Secretary of Transportation in the cabinet of President Jimmy
   Carter in 1979, and came out of retirement to lead Amtrak after the
   disastrous financial results during the Carter administration
   (1977-1981). He was recruited and 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 seemed to enjoy a good relationship with the Congress
   for his 11 years in the position. Of course, politics aside, that may
   have also been because he did a good job. According to an article in
   Fortune magazine, through vigorous cost cutting and aggressive
   marketing, within seven years under Claytor, Amtrak was generating
   enough cash to cover 72% of its $1.7 billion operating budget by 1989,
   up from 48% in 1981.

Modern history (1980s to present)

   Two of the leaders who followed Claytor lacked freight railroad or
   private-sector experience. Further, they each inherited the goal of
   making Amtrak operationally self-sufficient, an idea which began under
   David Stockman and his successors at the Office of Management and
   Budget (OMB) while Claytor was Amtrak's president (circa 1986).

   Claytor's replacement was Thomas Downs. Downs had been city
   administrator of Washington, D.C., and oversaw the Union Station
   project, which had experienced both massive delays and cost overruns.
   Under Downs, Amtrak began to claim that it could achieve operating
   self-sufficiency, and its leaders seemed to be increasingly misleading
   as to the prospects of achieving that goal when pressed by Congress and
   the media.

   After Downs left Amtrak, George Warrington was appointed by the board
   as the company's next president. He had previously been in charge of
   Amtrak's Northeast Corridor Business Unit. When he took the helm of
   Amtrak in January, 1998, self-sufficiency was still officially a stated
   goal, although it was becoming elusive in the eyes of Congress. Under
   Warrington's administration, Amtrak was mandated by the Administration
   and Congress to become totally self-sufficient within a five-year
   period, and all its management efforts were directed to that goal.
   Passengers became "guests" and there were expansions into express
   freight work. Finally, at the end of the 5-year period, it became clear
   that self-sufficiency was an unachievable goal, no matter how much
   additional express revenue was gained or how many cuts were made in
   Amtrak services.
   A Michigan-bound Amtrak train passes through Porter, Indiana, after
   departing from Chicago in 1993.
   Enlarge
   A Michigan-bound Amtrak train passes through Porter, Indiana, after
   departing from Chicago in 1993.

   In fairness, while both Downs and Warrington had extensive experience
   in government, neither had the non-governmental cost accounting or
   practical experience in private-sector railroading that Claytor had.
   Claytor also enjoyed the benefit of serving during the Reagan
   Administration when increases in federal spending on military items
   were drawing much of the political attention in Congress.

   The efforts to expand Amtrak's express income were unpopular with the
   host freight railroads, who did not want the additional Amtrak traffic
   it brought (or the competition). The express work also brought Amtrak
   new political enemies in the powerful trucking lobby before Congress.
   Warrington also had the burden of delays in implementation of the new
   Acela Express high-speed trainsets, which promised to be a strong
   source of income and favorable publicity along the Northeast Corridor
   between Boston and Washington DC.

   When David L. Gunn was selected as Amtrak president in April 2002,
   Amtrak self-sufficiency had largely fallen out of favour as a realistic
   short-term goal. Gunn came with a reputation as a strong,
   straightforward and experienced operating manager, but his blunt style
   sometimes put him in conflict with others. Years earlier, Gunn's
   refusal to "do politics" had put him at odds with the WMATA (Metro)
   board, which includes representatives from the District of Columbia and
   suburban jurisdictions in Maryland and Virginia during his tenure from
   1991-1994. He drew experience from being General Manager and Chief
   Operations Officer, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
   (SEPTA) from 1979 to 1984. In addition, his work as president of the
   New York City Transit Authority from 1984 to 1990 and as Chief General
   Manager of the Toronto Transit Commission in Canada from 1995-1999
   earned him a great deal of operating credibility, despite a
   sometimes-rough relationship with politicians and labor unions. The two
   agencies were each the largest transit operations of their respective
   countries. Prior to 1974, Gunn also gained private-sector railroad
   experience with Illinois Central Gulf Railroad, the New York Central
   Railroad System (before their 1968 merger into Penn Central) and for
   the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Before that, he had
   experience with the U.S. Navy in the Naval Reserve. Supporters consider
   Gunn's credentials to be the strongest at the head of Amtrak since W.
   Graham Claytor came out of retirement by request in 1982.

   Gunn was polite but direct in response to congressional criticism. He
   was also seen as more credible than some of his recent predecessors by
   Congress, the media, and many Amtrak supporters and employees. Perhaps
   more than any past president of Amtrak, Gunn seemed willing to publicly
   confront the policy and budget positions of the President of the United
   States who appointed the board at whose pleasure the Amtrak president
   serves.

   In a departure from his recent predecessors' promises to make Amtrak
   self-sufficient in the short term, the Gunn administration took the
   stance that no form of mass passenger transportation in the United
   States is self-sufficient as the economy is currently structured, and
   that Amtrak should not be judged by different standards than other
   transport modes. Highways, airports, and air traffic control all
   require large government expenditures to build and operate, coming from
   The Highway Trust Fund and 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. These expenditures are indirect
   subsidies unlike Amtrak's which fall under the watchful scrutiny of
   Congress when budget allocations are made yearly. 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
   airlines, upon whom the citizens of Arizona are dependent. McCain,
   usually not at a loss for words when debating Amtrak funding, did not
   reply.

   Some of Gunn's actions have been seen by many as politically wise. He
   had been very proactive in reducing layers of management overhead and
   has eliminated almost all of the controversial express business. He had
   stated that continued deferred maintenance will become a safety issue
   which he will not tolerate. This improved labor relations to some
   extent, even as Amtrak's ranks of unionized and salaried workers have
   been reduced.
   Acela 2038 tailing Acela 2030 en route to Washington, D.C. at
   Providence, RI in 2005
   Enlarge
   Acela 2038 tailing Acela 2030 en route to Washington, D.C. at
   Providence, RI in 2005

   On November 9, 2005, Amtrak's board of directors asked David L. Gunn to
   step down as president. He refused and was terminated. David Hughes,
   previously the Chief Engineer of Amtrak, was named as acting president
   and CEO until a permanent replacement could be appointed. David Laney,
   Amtrak's chairman, stated "Amtrak's future now requires a different
   type of leader who will aggressively tackle the company's financial,
   management and operational challenges. The need to bring fundamental
   change to Amtrak is greater and more urgent than ever before." The
   board envisions fundamental changes for the railroad including
   increasing competition and shared financial responsibilities with
   states. Given the solid performance by Gunn, many Amtrak supporters
   have viewed Gunn's termination as the death knell for Amtrak.

   On August 29, 2006, Alexander Kummant was named as the railroad
   company's new president and CEO effective September 12, 2006.

Federal funding

   Amtrak's Empire Builder train passing through the Columbia River Gorge
   enroute to Spokane, WA from Portland, OR in 2006
   Enlarge
   Amtrak's Empire Builder train passing through the Columbia River Gorge
   enroute to Spokane, WA from Portland, OR in 2006

   Amtrak's ongoing need for federal government funding leads to recurring
   debates over its possible elimination. In the aftermath of the
   terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, 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.

   A stalemate in federal subsidization of Amtrak then led to cutbacks in
   services and routes as well as some 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 has 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.

   As has been the practice in most years, the current budget proposal
   from the U.S President to the Congress does not support Amtrak's
   continued existence in its current form. Hoping to spur Congress to
   overhaul the way Amtrak does business, the budget proposed by the Bush
   Administration for fiscal 2006 would eliminate Amtrak's operating
   subsidy and set aside $360 million to run trains along the Northeast
   Corridor once the railroad ceases operating.

   Amtrak received just under $1.4 billion for fiscal year 2006, with a
   few conditions. Amtrak was required to reduce (but not to totally
   eliminate) food and sleeper service losses. The food service cuts were
   done through a more simplified dining service. The simplified dining
   service requires two fewer on-board service workers. The food will be
   prepared off train and then heated in convection ovens and served on
   high quality plastic plates with silverware.

   Several states have entered into operating partnerships with Amtrak,
   notably California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Oregon,
   Washington, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Vermont.

Labor dispute

   One problem associated with the federal funding is Amtrak's labor
   disputes. Many of Amtrak's employees have been working without a
   contract for over five years; the last contract signed in 1999 was
   mainly retroactive.

Amtrak routes and services

   Map of Acela Express service on the Northeast Corridor.
   Enlarge
   Map of Acela Express service on the Northeast Corridor.

   As a general rule, even-numbered routes run north and east while odd
   numbered routes run south and west. However, some routes, such as the
   Pacific Surfliners, use the exact opposite numbering system, which they
   inherited from the previous operators of similar routes, such as the
   Santa Fe Railroad. Amtrak gives each of its train routes a name. These
   names often reflect the rich and complex history of the route itself,
   or of the area traversed by the route.

   The most popular and heavily-used routes in the Amtrak system are those
   on the Northeast Corridor, which include the Acela Express, and
   Regional. These routes serve Boston,New York City, Philadelphia,
   Baltimore, Washington, Richmond (Regional only), and many other smaller
   cities and towns between Boston and Newport News. Shuttle trains
   operating between Springfield, Hartford, and New Haven and connecting
   to the Northeast Corridor at New Haven are also classified as Northeast
   Corridor trains.

   Other popular routes throughout the country that operate many times per
   day include:

   Northeast
     * Empire Service between Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Albany, and New York
     * Keystone Service between Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and New York
     * Downeaster between Portland and Boston

   Midwest
     * Hiawatha between Milwaukee and Chicago
     * Wolverine between Chicago, Detroit, and Pontiac

   West Coast
     * Pacific Surfliner between San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Los
       Angeles, and San Diego
     * Capitol Corridor between Sacramento, Oakland, and San Jose
     * San Joaquins between Oakland, Stockton, and Bakersfield and between
       Sacramento, Stockton, and Bakersfield
     * Amtrak Cascades between Seattle, Portland, and Eugene

   Schematic of Amtrak routes

Amtrak's Busiest Stations in 2005

             City - Station Name         State Passengers
                                               (thousands)
   1  New York - Penn Station            NY    8,500
   2  Philadelphia - 30th Street Station PA    3,700
   3  Washington - Union Station         DC    3,700
   4  Chicago - Union Station            IL    2,500
   5  Los Angeles - Union Station        CA    1,400
   6  Newark - Penn Station              NJ    1,200
   7  Baltimore - Penn Station           MD    980
   8  Boston - South Station             MA    971
   9  Sacramento - I Street Station      CA    932
   10 Trenton                            NJ    901
   11 San Diego - Union Station          CA    839
   12 Wilmington                         DE    779
   13 Princeton Junction                 NJ    765
   14 Rensselaer (Albany-Rensselaer)     NY    734
   15 New Haven - Union Station          CT    654
   16 Seattle - King Street Station      WA    605
   17 Linthicum (BWI Airport)            MD    579
   18 Irvine                             CA    565
   19 Emeryville                         CA    500
   20 Providence                         RI    490
   21 Portland - Union Station           OR    479
   22 Milwaukee                          WI    475
   23 Fullerton                          CA    402
   24 Solana Beach                       CA    400
   25 Bakersfield                        CA    370

   Source

Gaps in service

   The only states that are not served by Amtrak are Hawaii, Alaska (which
   is served by the Alaska Railroad) and South Dakota. Wyoming lost
   service in the 1997 cuts, but is still served by Amtrak's Thruway
   Motorcoaches. It should be noted, while operating in 47 states, Amtrak
   serves many states only nominally through stations along borders and/or
   away from major population areas.

   Damage to railroad track caused by Hurricane Katrina took large
   portions of the Sunset Limited train out of service. Originally the
   train departed from Orlando, Florida – but the aftermath of the
   hurricane caused the train to now originate at New Orleans Union
   Passenger Terminal.

   In addition, several major cities and regional business centers
   (including four with more than a million residents) are not directly
   served by Amtrak, including:
     * Phoenix, Arizona (#14, metro pop 3.7M) (see below)
     * Las Vegas, Nevada (#32, pop 1.6M) (lost service in the 1997 cuts)
     * Columbus, Ohio (#33, pop 1.5M)
     * Nashville, Tennessee (#39, pop 1.3M)
     * Louisville, Kentucky (#50, pop 1M) (lost service with the
       elimination of the Kentucky Cardinal in 2003)
     * Dayton, Ohio (#53, pop 950K)
     * Tulsa, Oklahoma (#45 pop 986K)
     * Fort Wayne, Indiana (pop 502K)
     * Colorado Springs, Colorado (pop 500K)
     * Boise, Idaho (pop 430K) (also ended in 1997)

   Other cities are not served directly due to inconvenient water
   barriers; they include Norfolk (#31) and Virginia Beach in the Hampton
   Roads area; San Francisco, where trains stop across the bay in Oakland
   and Emeryville; and St. Petersburg, Florida where trains stop across
   the bay in Tampa.

   Phoenix, Arizona is served via thruway motorcoach from the Southwest
   Chief at Flagstaff, Arizona — or the nearby, yet remote due to a lack
   of any public transportation connection, Maricopa, Arizona, roughly
   thirty miles from the city. Phoenix lost service in June of 1996 when
   now-defunct Southern Pacific (now a part of Union Pacific) threatened
   to abandon the line from Phoenix to Yuma .
     * Article on the missing markets that America's rail service doesn't
       serve. Analysis and charts.
     * Chart showing U.S. population centers and Amtrak service.

Commuter services

   Through various commuter services, Amtrak serves an additional 61.1
   million passengers per year in conjunction with state and regional
   authorities in California, Washington, Maryland, Connecticut, and
   Virginia:
     * Caltrain ( San Francisco and San Jose)
     * Sounder Commuter Rail (Seattle, Washington and the Puget Sound
       area)
     * San Diego Coaster ( San Diego)
     * MARC ( Maryland)
     * Shore Line East ( Connecticut)
     * Virginia Railway Express (VRE)

   In the past, Amtrak has operated Metrolink, and MBTA Commuter Rail.

   Additionally, Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner (formerly San Diegan) train
   service is mostly funded by Caltrans and not the Federal Government.

Intermodal connections

   Intermodal connections between Amtrak trains and other transportation
   are available at many stations. With few exceptions, Amtrak rail
   stations located in downtown areas have connections to local public
   transit.

   Amtrak also code shares with Continental Airlines providing service
   between Newark Liberty International Airport (via its Amtrak station
   and AirTrain Newark) and Philadelphia 30th St, Wilmington, Stamford,
   and New Haven. In addition, Amtrak serves airport stations at Milwaukee
   and Baltimore.

   Amtrak also coordinates Thruway Motorcoach service to extend many of
   its routes, particularly in California.

Guest Rewards

   Amtrak operates a loyalty program called Guest Rewards, which is
   similar to the frequent flyer programs offered by many airlines. Guest
   Rewards members accumulate points by riding Amtrak and through other
   activities. Members can then redeem these points for free or discounted
   Amtrak tickets and other awards.

Amtrak in comparison to other transportation

   Outside of the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak was a minor player in
   transportation markets. It since has added frequent-interval service in
   a number of corridors in the East, Midwest, California, and the Pacific
   Northwest. In 2003, Amtrak accounted for 0.1% of US intercity passenger
   miles (5,680 million out of 5,280,860 million total, of which private
   automobile travel makes up the vast majority). In fiscal year 2004,
   Amtrak routes served over 25 million passengers, while in calendar year
   2004 commercial airlines served over 712 million passengers. Amtrak,
   however, serves many communities which have no air service or other
   public transportation.
   Mode Revenue Energy consumption Safety Reliability
   Domestic airlines 12.0¢ per passenger mile 3,463 BTU per passenger mile
   0.02 deaths per 100 million passenger miles 82%
   Intercity buses 12.9¢ per passenger mile 3,496 BTU per passenger mile
   0.05 deaths per 100 million passenger miles N/A
   Amtrak 26.0¢ per passenger mile 2,100 BTU per passenger mile 0.03
   deaths per 100 million passenger miles 74%
   Automobiles N/A 3,570 BTU per passenger mile 0.80 deaths per 100
   million passenger miles N/A

Freight services

   Amtrak Express provides small package and less-than-truckload shipping
   services between 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 also hauled mail for the United States
   Postal Service as well as time sensitive freight shipments, but
   discontinued these services in October of 2004.

   On most parts of the few lines that Amtrak owns, it has trackage rights
   agreements allowing freight railroads to use its trackage.

Trains and tracks

   Most tracks are owned by freight railroads. Amtrak operates over all
   seven Class I railroads, as well as several short lines — the Guilford
   Rail System, New England Central Railroad and Vermont Railway. Other
   sections are owned by terminal railroads jointly controlled by freight
   companies or by commuter rail agencies.

Tracks owned by the company

   Along the NEC 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.

Northeast Corridor

   The Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C. and Boston via
   Baltimore, Philadelphia, Newark and New York is largely composed of
   Amtrak's own tracks. These are combined with those of several state and
   regional commuter agencies in what amounts to a cooperative
   arrangement. 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 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.

Keystone Corridor

   This line runs from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. As a
   result of a successful investment partnership with the state 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 and
       Keystone Service)

Empire Corridor

     * 11 miles (18 km), New York Penn Station to Spuyten Duyvil, New York
     * 35.9 miles (57.8 km), 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

     * 60.5 mi (97.4 km), New Haven to Springfield ( Regional and
       Vermonter)

Other tracks

     * Chicago-Detroit Line - 98 miles (158 km), Porter, Indiana to
       Kalamazoo, Michigan ( Wolverine)
     * Chicago-Detroit Line - 4 miles (6 km) in Detroit, Michigan, CP
       Townline to CP West Detroit ( 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 (near
   Miami, Florida) (leased from the State of Florida), Los Angeles, New
   Orleans, New York City, Oakland (Kirkham Street Yard), Orlando,
   Portland, Oregon, Saint Paul, Minnesota, Seattle, Washington, DC

   Amtrak wholly owns the Chicago Union Station Company ( Chicago Union
   Station) and Penn Station Leasing ( New York Penn Station). It has a
   99.7% interest in the Washington Terminal Company ( Washington Union
   Station) and 99% of 30th Street Limited (Philadelphia 30th Street
   Station). Also owned by Amtrak is Passenger Railroad Insurance.

Motive power and rolling stock

   Amtrak Auto Train dining car awaits passengers next to auto carrier
   which will join it at rear of train (Lorton, VA, 2000). Photo courtesy
   of www.trainweb.com
   Enlarge
   Amtrak Auto Train dining car awaits passengers next to auto carrier
   which will join it at rear of train (Lorton, VA, 2000). Photo courtesy
   of www.trainweb.com
   Connecting a private business car (formerly the D&RG 101) to the end of
   an Amtrak train
   Enlarge
   Connecting a private business car (formerly the D&RG 101) to the end of
   an Amtrak train

   Amtrak operates 425 locomotives (351 diesel and 74 electric).

   Diesel Locomotives
   Builder Model Locomotive Numbers Years of Service Notes
   GE P42DC 1-207 1996-Present Amtrak's main locomotives.
   GE P40DC 800-843 1993-Present Several of these units are stored, and
   the Connecticut Deptartment of Transportation has leased eight units.
   GE P32-8WH (Dash 8) 500, 503-519;
   2051, 2052 ( Amtrak California) 1991-Present Used as backup or for
   switching. The entire class is now undergoing overhaul. 501 & 502 were
   sold to the California Department of Transportation.
   EMD F59PHI 450-470;
   2001-2015 (Amtrak California) 1994-Present Primarily used for trains on
   the west coast.

   Diesel Switcher Locomotives
          Builder         Model  Locomotive Numbers
   EMD                   SW1     737
   EMD                   SW1000R 790-799
   EMD                   SW1001  569
   EMD                   SSB1200 558-567
   EMD                   SW1500  540, 541
   EMD                   MP15    530-539
   MPI                   GP15D   570-579
   RPI                   GG20B   599
   EMD                   GP38    720-724
   EMD/ Norfolk Southern GP38H-3 520-527

   Former Diesel Locomotives

   Builder Model Locomotive Numbers Years of Service Notes
   EMD F40PH 200-415 1977-2003 Formerly Amtrak's main locomotives. Many
   are still used by several Amtrak as " cabbage cars", a hybrid baggage
   non-powered control unit (NPCU). Those that were not converted were
   retired and scrapped or sold off by 2003. A small number were also
   donated to museums.
   EMD GP40TC 192-199 (Original) 1989-Present (rebuilt) Ex- GO Transit
   locomotives. Currently the units are used for MOW service and have been
   rebuilt into "GP38-H3" units by Norfolk Southern.
   EMD F69PHAC 450, 451 1990-1993 Experimental locomotives built in a
   joint venture between EMD and Siemens, and designed to test AC
   locomotive technology. Only two were constructed. They were returned to
   EMD in 1993. At least one, stripped of parts, exists in a scrapyard.
   GE P30CH 700-724 1975-1991 Amtrak's second new locomotive. Based on the
   GE freight locomotive U30C. All have been scrapped.
   EMD SDP40F 500-649 1973-1985 Amtrak's first new locomotive, originally
   designed for ready conversion to freight service in the event Amtrak
   did not survive. These locomotives were prone to derail at passenger
   train speeds on track that had not been maintained well. They were sold
   off, traded, or scrapped by 1985. One has been preserved.

   Former Diesel Locomotives Inherited from other Railroads

   These locomotives were inhereted from many of the Class 1 railroads
   that joined Amtrak. Several examples of each type survive.
     * EMD E9
     * EMD E8
     * EMD FP7
     * EMD F7
     * EMD F3B

   Electric Locomotives

   Builder Model Locomotive Numbers Years of Service Notes
   GE P32ACDM 700-717 1995-Present Diesel-electric locomotive
   Bombardier Transportation Acela HHP-8 650-664 1998-Present High-speed
   train.
   EMD AEM-7 901-953 1979-Present Rebuilt starting in 1999.

   Twenty Acela Express trainsets have been used to provide popular
   high-speed rail service along the Northeast Corridor between South
   Station in Boston and Union Station in Washington D.C. This service has
   been so popular, in fact, that supporters claim the Acela trains even
   cover their "above the rail" costs (operating expenses, but not capital
   to maintain infrastructure).

   However, these trainsets have not been without problems. In April 2005,
   all were removed from service to repair cracked brake rotors. They
   returned to service by September of that year.

   Former Electric Locomotives

     * GE E60 - One example has been preserved.

   Former Electric Locomotives Inherited from other Railroads

     * EMD FL9 - Most have been sold off to commuter lines.
     * PRR E44 - These locomotives were inhereted from Penn Central.
     * PRR GG1 - These locomotives were inhereted from Penn Central.
       Several examples survive.

   Rolling Stock

   Amtrak's 2,141 railroad cars include several types of passenger cars
   (including 168 sleeper cars, 760 coach cars, 126 first class/business
   class cars, 66 dormitory/crew cars, 225 lounge/café/dinette cars, and
   92 dining cars). These include:
     * Superliner I and II
     * Amfleet I and II
     * Horizon Fleet
     * Viewliner
     * Heritage Fleet
     * California Cars
     * Surfliner Cars
     * Talgo Cars

   Baggage cars, autoracks for Auto Train service, and maintenance of way
   rolling stock make up the remainder of the fleet.

   Private railroad cars may also be hauled by Amtrak trains if suitably
   certified and equipped with Head End Power (HEP). Well organized groups
   such as the American Association for Private Rail Car Owners, Inc.,
   (AAPRC) represent the interest of car owners in dealing with private
   and public organizations such as Amtrak. These private cars may be used
   by their owners or chartered by individuals for private travel behind
   regularly scheduled Amtrak trains.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amtrak"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
