Amtrak

For other uses, see Amtrak (disambiguation) and Amtrac.

National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)
Geographic map of the Amtrak system
The Southwest Chief, one of Amtrak's long-distance trains in the Western United States, in Laguna, New Mexico
Overview
Headquarters1 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, D.C.
Key people
Reporting markAMTK and AMTZ
IATA code: 2V
Locale
Dates of operationMay 1, 1971–present[1][2]
Predecessors20 privately operated intercity passenger rail systems
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification
Length
  • Routes: 21,400 mi (34,400 km)
  • Track owned: 623 mi (1,003 km)
Other
Websiteamtrak.com Edit this at Wikidata

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak (/ˈæmtræk/; reporting marks AMTK, AMTZ), is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. Amtrak is a portmanteau of the words America and track.

Founded in 1971 as a quasi-public corporation to operate many U.S. passenger rail routes, Amtrak receives a combination of state and federal subsidies but is managed as a for-profit organization. The company's headquarters is located one block west of Union Station in Washington, D.C.[5] Amtrak is headed by a Board of Directors, two of whom are the Secretary of Transportation and CEO of Amtrak, while the other eight members are nominated to serve a term of five years.[6]

Amtrak's network includes over 500 stations along 21,400 miles (34,000 km) of track. It directly owns approximately 623 miles (1,003 km) of this track and operates an additional 132 miles of track; the remaining mileage is over rail lines owned by other railroad companies. While most track speeds are limited to 79 mph (127 km/h) or less, several lines have been upgraded to support top speeds of 110 mph (180 km/h), and parts of the Northeast Corridor support top speeds of 160 mph (260 km/h).

In fiscal year 2022, Amtrak served 22.9 million passengers and had $2.1 billion in revenue, with more than 17,100 employees as of fiscal year 2021. Nearly 87,000 passengers ride more than 300 Amtrak trains daily.[7] Nearly two-thirds of passengers come from the 10 largest metropolitan areas and 83% of passengers travel on routes shorter than 400 miles (645 km).[8]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference winner was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference last court test was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Amtrak Announces Bill Flynn to Retire and Names Stephen Gardner as New President and CEO" (Press release). Washington: Amtrak. December 15, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  4. ^ Weinberg, Harrison (June 23, 2022). "Amtrak Appoints Roger Harris President and Gerhard Williams Executive Vice President of Service Delivery Operations" (Press release). Washington: Amtrak. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  5. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2017 District of Columbia" (PDF). Amtrak Government Affairs. November 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  6. ^ "US Code, Title 49, Section 24302: Board of Directors". Washington: United States Government Publishing Office.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference FY18 profile was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Puentes, Robert; Tomer, Adie; Kane, Joseph (March 2013). "A New Alignment: Strengthening America's Commitment to Passenger Rail". The Brookings Institution. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2015.