Amtrak

Amtrak is the name of an intercity passenger train system created on May 1,
1971 in the United States. The name Amtrak is a combination of the words
American and Track; the official name of the corporation that owns Amtrak is
the National Railroad Passenger Corporation. In the United Kingdom, Amtrak
is the name of a parcel delivery company. The two companies are not related.

In its original conception, Amtrak owned no track and was not truly a
railroad. Rather, Amtrak trains used the existing network of freight rail
systems and relieved publicly traded freight rail companies of their
previous legal obligation to provide passenger rail service. For the most
part, this scheme still exists today, but certain dense passenger lines,
such as the corridor between Washington, D.C. and Boston via New York is
largely Amtrak's own railroad. Interestingly, the segment of this line
between New Rochelle, New York and New Haven, Connecticut is not owned by Amtrak.

Amtrak owns 730 route miles of track including 17 tunnels consisting of 29.7
miles of track and 1,186 bridges consisting of 42.5 miles of track in its
network of 22,000 miles of routes. This rail network serves 500 communities
in 46 of the United States, with some of these routes serving communities in
Canadian provinces along the United States border. The states which are not
served by Amtrak trains are Alaska, Hawaii, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
However, Wyoming is served by Amtrak's Thruway Motorcoaches. 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 California Surfliners, use
the exact opposite numbering system, which they inherited from the previous
operators of similar routes, such as the Santa Fe Railroad.

Amtrak operates 425 locomotives, 351 diesel and 74 electric, 2,141 railroad
cars including 168 sleeper cars, 760 coach cars, 126 first class/business
class cars, 66 dormitory/crew cars, 225 lounge/cafˇ/dinette cars, and 92
dining cars. Baggage cars make up the remainder of the fleet. 19 Acela
trainsets currently provide high-speed rail service along the Northeast
Corridor between between Boston and Washington D.C.'s Union Station. Amtrak
also codeshares on Continental Airlines with their rail service between
Newark Liberty International Airport and 30th Street Rail Station in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Wilmington, Delaware, Stamford, Connecticut, and
New Haven, Connecticut.

Amtrak employs 22,000 employees and receives a great deal of government
funding, leading to recurring debates over its elimination. However, since
the terrorist atttacks of September 11, 2001, government funding of Amtrak
has been greatly increased. In fiscal year 2001, Amtrak served more than
23.5 million passengers, and despite an overall decrease in travel, Amtrak
served more than 23.4 million passengers in fiscal year 2002. Through its
various commuter services, Amtrak serves an additional 61.1 million
passengers per year in conjunction with state and regional authorities in
California, Maryland, Connecticut, and Virginia:

   * Caltrain (California)
   * Coasters (California)
   * Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC)
   * Metrolink (California)
   * Shoreline East (Connecticut)
   * Virginia Railway Express (VRE)

The current President of Amtrak is David Gunn.

Science fiction author Patrick Tilley has written a series of novels
collectively titled The Amtrak Wars.

Amtrak Routes

Amtrak has a complex albeit decentralized management structure wherein
individual train conductors and other staff are assigned to particular
routes or stations whereas ticket sales are managed by a nationwide computer
system. Each train route has a rich and complex history, which is reflected
in their often colorful names.

   * Acela Express
   * Adirondack
   * Auto Train
   * Amtrak Cascades
   * California Zephyr
   * Capitol Corridor
   * Capitol Limited
   * Cardinal
   * Carolinian and Piedmont
   * City of New Orleans
   * Coast Starlight
   * Crescent
   * Downeaster
   * Empire Builder
   * Empire Service
   * Ethan Allen Express
   * The Federal
   * Heartland Flyer
   * Hiawatha
   * Illinois Service
   * Keystone
   * Lake Shore Limited
   * Maple Leaf
   * Metroliner
   * Michigan Services
   * Missouri Routes
   * Pacific Surfliner
   * Pennsylvanian
   * Regional
   * San Joaquins
   * Silver Service / Palmetto
   * Southwest Chief
   * Sunset Limited
   * Texas Eagle
   * Three Rivers
   * Vermonter

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