In addition to its train lines, Amtrak also offers a bus service called Thruway, which is provided throughout the U.S. The most popular ones include the Northeast Regional, the Pacific Surfliner, the Downeaster, and the famous Coast Starlight.

Today, Amtrak’s network consists of more than 40 different regional train services. Today, Amtrak’s railroad network covers 144320 routes across North America and the carrier runs an average of 57851 train trips every day. However, the most prominent service upgrade did not come until the early 21st century, when Amtrak introduced the high-speed Acela service, providing long-awaited express trains along the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington, D.C. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Amtrak continued to expand its network and invested in modernizing its fleet to better serve its passengers.

While the fledgling organization struggled to grow within the first several years of its formation, Amtrak continued to expand its operations as some of the remaining private railroads went out of business. The first train trip operated under the Amtrak brand took place on May 1, 1971.

Congress passed in 1970 in a bid to rescue the declining intercity passenger rail industry. Formally referred to as the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Amtrak is a quasi-public corporation that receives a combination of state and federal subsidies but operates as a for-profit organization.Īmtrak was formed in 1971 as a result of the Rail Passenger Service Act that the U.S. Amtrak is the largest passenger railroad service in America, offering daily intercity trains to 869 destinations across the contiguous United States, as well as several cities in Canada.

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