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Amtrak is a hybrid public-private railway company. In order to understand the historical significance of Amtrak, it is important to understand the factors that led to the decline of private railroad industries in the early and mid-20th century. Government regulations crippled the private railway industries. Yet, paradoxically, the... more »
Railroad travel has been around since the early 1800s and has not become redundant with the advent of airplanes. In the United States, Amtrak offices nationwide railroad service and at times train travel may be more convenient than flying. Amtrak offers sleeper cars for long distance travel, and sleeper rooms have a capacity of up to... more »
Tired of Los Angeles traffic? In town for a visit but don't want to rent a car? Looking for a new way to explore the Los Angeles area? The Gold Line is the perfect solution. This light rail line connects Pasadena with downtown Los Angeles, and offers the most attractive scenery of any of the area's subway or light rail lines. It's... more »
Beantown is home to the Red Sox, the Freedom Trail, the Bull & Finch Pub (of "Cheers" fame), dropped "r"s and great seafood. But what you don't know is that many foreigners and Americans alike consider this historic place the most cosmopolitan and European-like of American cities. more »
Travelers arriving in New York City have plenty of ways to get into the city once they reach the airport, but if you want to use public transport, you'll need to do a bit of planning ahead. New York is served by three major airports---none of which are directly connected to the subway system or to commuter trains. Whether you ride... more »
In this day and age of car and air travel, traveling by train from place to place may seem...
Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, is an intercity rail passenger train servicing the United States and parts of Canada. It has... more »
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, more commonly known as Amtrak, is the intercity passenger rail system in the United States. The name... more »
With concern about gas prices and energy shortages rising daily, Amtrak (the American passenger train system) is a better bargain than ever.... more »
Let the train conductor do the steering across the United States while you savor America's varied scenery. Amtrak offers four major routes from... more »
If you ride Amtrak a good deal its a smart idea to sign up for the train lines rewards programs. You can earn points and eventually work your way... more »
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track"."web-amtrak1"> It is headquartered at Union Station in Washington, DC."." Amtrak. Retrieved on September 16, 2009.
All of Amtraks 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. Common stock was issued in 1971 to railroads that contributed capital and equipment; these shares convey almost no benefits (September 2003). but their current holders declined a 2002 buy-out offer by Amtrak., United Transportation Union newsletter.
Amtrak employs nearly 19,000 people. It operates passenger service on of track primarily owned by freight railroads connecting 500 destinations in 46 states."amtrak.com">. Some routes also serve Canada. In fiscal year 2008, Amtrak served 28.7 million passengers, representing six straight years of record ridership."amtrak.com"/> Despite this recent growth, the United States still has one of the lowest inter-city rail usages in the developed world due to the relatively developed interstate freeway and airline modes of transportation, and very long distances between cities (giving airlines a significant time advantage).
History
Amtraks 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, Congress and President Nixon created Amtrak. The Nixon administration secretly agreed with some railroads that Amtrak would be shut down after two years. After Fortune magazine exposed the manufactured mismanagement in 1974, Louis W. Menk, chairman of the Burlington Northern Railroad remarked that the read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amtrak
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