History UsefulNotes / Amtrak

* '''Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Railroad Station''', Wilmington, Delaware is a fairly active station for the size of its city, serving the busy Northeast Corridor as well as a commuter rail to Philadelphia. But most notable are its ties to the current US President UsefulNotes/JoeBiden. When Biden was still a US Senator from Delaware, he rode the train to DC from his home in Wilmington (about an hour commute) the entire 36 years of his tenure, and he has long championed increased funding and support for Amtrak. In fact, he and wife Jill never even ''had'' a Washington residence until he became Vice President under UsefulNotes/BarackObama in 2009. And when Obama's term ended eight years later, the Bidens returned to Delaware via train, of course. In honor of Biden's decades-long patronage and advocacy, Amtrak and the city of Wilmington named the local train station after him in 2011. He also rode the train during his 2020 presidential campaign and planned to ride it back to Washington for his inauguration, but security concerns in the wake of the January 6, 2021 siege on the Capitol Building (in protest of his confirmation as president-elect) precluded this.

* '''Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Railroad Station''', Wilmington, Delaware is a fairly active station for the size of its city, as it sits within the busy Northeast Corridor as well as receiving a commuter rail to Philadelphia. But most notable are its ties to the current US President UsefulNotes/JoeBiden. When Biden was still a US Senator from Delaware, he rode the train to DC from his home in Wilmington (about an hour commute) the entire 36 years of his tenure, and he has long championed increased funding and support for Amtrak. In fact, he and wife Jill never even ''had'' a Washington residence until he became Vice President under UsefulNotes/BarackObama in 2009. And when Obama's term ended eight years later, the Bidens returned to Delaware via train, of course. In honor of Biden's decades-long patronage and advocacy, Amtrak and the city of Wilmington named the local train station after him in 2011. He also rode the train during his 2020 presidential campaign and planned to ride it back to Washington for his inauguration, but security concerns in the wake of the January 6, 2021 siege on the Capitol Building (in protest of his confirmation as president-elect) precluded this.

* '''Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Railroad Station''', Wilmington, Delaware would not be a remarkable station on its own, except for its ties to the current US President UsefulNotes/JoeBiden. When Biden was still a US Senator from Delaware, he rode the train to DC from his home in Wilmington (about an hour commute) the entire 36 years of his tenure, and he has long championed increased funding and support for Amtrak. In fact, he and wife Jill never even ''had'' a Washington residence until he became Vice President under UsefulNotes/BarackObama in 2009. And when Obama's term ended eight years later, the Bidens returned to Delaware via train, of course. In honor of Biden's decades-long patronage and advocacy, Amtrak and the city of Wilmington named the local train station after him in 2011. He also rode the train during his 2020 presidential campaign and planned to ride it back to Washington for his inauguration, but security concerns in the wake of the January 6, 2021 siege on the Capitol Building (in protest of his confirmation as president-elect) precluded this.

* '''Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Railroad Station''', Wilmington, Delaware would not be a remarkable station on its own, except for its ties to the current US President Joe Biden. When Biden was still a US Senator from Delaware, he rode the train to DC from his home in Wilmington (about an hour commute) the entire 36 years of his tenure, and he has long championed increased funding and support for Amtrak. In fact, he and wife Jill never even ''had'' a Washington residence until he became Vice President under UsefulNotes/BarackObama in 2009. And when Obama's term ended eight years later, the Bidens returned to Delaware via train, of course. In honor of Biden's decades-long patronage and advocacy, Amtrak and the city of Wilmington named the local train station after him in 2011. He also rode the train during his 2020 presidential campaign and planned to ride it back to Washington for his inauguration, but security concerns in the wake of the January 6, 2021 siege on the Capitol Building (in protest of his confirmation as president-elect) precluded this.

* '''Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Railroad Station''', Wilmington, Delaware would not be a remarkable station on its own, except for its ties to the current US President Joe Biden. When Biden was still a US Senator from Delaware, he rode the train to DC from his home in Wilmington (about an hour commute) the entire 36 years of his tenure, and he has long championed increased funding and support for Amtrak. In fact, he and wife Jill never even ''had'' a Washington residence until he became Vice President under UsefulNotes/BarackObama in 2009. And when Obama's term ended eight years later, the Bidens returned to Delaware via train, of course. In honor of Biden's decades-long support for Amtrak as both a passenger and politician, they named their Wilmington station after him in 2011. He also rode the train during his 2020 presidential campaign and planned to ride it back to Washington for his inauguration, but security concerns in the wake of the January 6, 2021 siege on the Capitol Building (in protest of his confirmation as president-elect) precluded this.

* '''Joseph R. Biden Jr. Railroad Station''', Wilmington, Delaware would not be a remarkable station on its own, except for its ties to the current US President Joe Biden. When Biden was still a US Senator from Delaware, he rode the train to DC from his home in Wilmington (about an hour commute) the entire 36 years of his tenure, and he has long championed increased funding and support for Amtrak. In fact, he and wife Jill never even ''had'' a Washington residence until he became Vice President under UsefulNotes/BarackObama in 2009. And when Obama's term ended eight years later, the Bidens returned to Delaware via train, of course. In honor of Biden's decades-long support for Amtrak as both a passenger and politician, they named their Wilmington station after him in 2011. He also rode the train during his 2020 presidential campaign and planned to ride it back to Washington for his inauguration, but security concerns in the wake of the January 6, 2021 siege on the Capitol Building (in protest of his confirmation as president-elect) precluded this.

* '''Joseph R. Biden Jr. Station''', Wilmington, Delaware would not be a remarkable station on its own except for its ties to the current US President Joe Biden. When Biden was still a US Senator from Delaware, he rode the train to DC from his home in Wilmington (about an hour commute) the entire 36 years of his tenure. In fact, he and wife Jill never even ''had'' a Washington residence until he became Vice President under UsefulNotes/BarackObama in 2009 when they moved into the VP's residence, Number One Observatory Circle. And when Obama's term ended eight years later, the Bidens returned to Delaware via train, of course. In honor of Biden's decades-long advocacy for Amtrak, they named their Wilmington station after him in 2011. He also rode the train during his 2020 presidential campaign and planned to ride it back to Washington for his inauguration, but security concerns in the wake of the January 6, 2021 siege of the Capitol Building precluded this.

* '''Penn Station, UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity''' is the busiest train station in the Western Hemisphere[[note]]Though not the largest. Grand Central Terminal is the largest station in the ''world'' but it's served entirely by local rails[[/note]]. The original station was a beaux-arts masterpiece that was controversially demolished in 1964 to build the new Madison Square Garden, and the station was entirely underground for almost 60 years. In 2021, Penn Station expanded into the James Farley Post Office after decades of DevelopmentHell. This annex has been renamed Moynihan Train Hall in honor of the late U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who created the idea of rebuilding the historic Penn Station.

* '''Union Station, UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC''' is Amtrak's headquarters, the second busiest station, and just a few blocks from the Capitol. It's well-known for being a tourist attraction in its own right, with beautiful architecture and many shops, not unlike New York's Grand Central Terminal. It has a connection to the UsefulNotes/WashingtonMetro on the latter's Red Line, as well as commuter rail service into Maryland and Virginia by way of MARC and Virginia Railway Express, respectively. The station also serves as DC's hub for intercity bus services like Greyhound and Peter Pan. It is not uncommon to spot a VIP or two while you're here.

* '''30th Street Station, UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}}''' is the third busiest station in the Amtrak system, as it is on the Northeast Corridor and the connection point for every train into the interior of Pennsylvania. This station, built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in the early 1900s, also has connections to [[UsefulNotes/PhiladelphiaSubways Philly's vast network of subways, streetcars, and commuter rails]], and UsefulNotes/NewJerseyTransit to Atlantic City. Despite all of this, no Amtrak trains terminate here except two early-morning Keystone Service trains that only run from Philadelphia to Harrisburg; all other Amtrak trains are through services.

* '''Union Station, UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}''' is the fourth busiest station and the hub of the Amtrak network both in the Midwest and long distance travel in general; of the thirteen long distance routes, only five[[note]]the west coast's ''Coast Starlight'', the east coast's ''Silver Star'' and ''Silver Meteor'', and the south's ''Crescent'' and ''Sunset Limited''[[/note]] don't have Chicago as a stop, and the remaining eight all have Chicago as a terminus. Traveling across the USA by train requires a transfer here[[note]]Unless the ''Crescent'' and ''Sunset Limited'' are taken, in which case the transfer is in New Orleans[[/note]]. In more trivial information, the waiting room in this station has a working fireplace. Architecturally, Chicago Union Station is arguably one of the most visually-impressive train stations in the US and reminds the visitor of the bygone era when most major cities had a train station almost as impressive.

* '''Union Station, UsefulNotes/LosAngeles''' is the sixth-busiest station (#5 is South Station, UsefulNotes/{{Boston}} if you're keeping count) and something of an oddball. It's designed to look like a [[UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} giant mission-style church]] complete with gardens, the tracks and platforms are elevated, and it's been in a state of constant expansion since 1989. It was a major hub for [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood Golden Age movie stars]] and [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII troops bound for the Pacific]] before the advent of passenger air travel, and you've seen it many times if you watched ''[[Series/TwentyFour 24]].'' It was one of the last grand "Union Statons" to be built in the US towards the tail end of the "golden age" of rail travel in the country and is one planned terminus for the new California High Speed Rail system to enter service some time in the late 2020s (the other is a yet to be constructed station in UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco).

* '''Joseph R. Biden Jr. Station, Wilmington, Delaware''' would not be a remarkable station on its own except for its ties to the current US President Joe Biden. When Biden was still a US Senator from Delaware, he rode the train to DC from his home in Wilmington (about an hour commute) the entire 36 years of his tenure. In fact, he and wife Jill never even ''had'' a Washington residence until he became Vice President under UsefulNotes/BarackObama in 2009 when they moved into the VP's residence, Number One Observatory Circle. And when Obama's term ended eight years later, the Bidens returned to Delaware via train, of course. In honor of Biden's decades-long advocacy for Amtrak, they named their Wilmington station after him in 2011. He also rode the train during his 2020 presidential campaign and planned to ride it back to Washington for his inauguration, but security concerns in the wake of the January 6, 2021 siege of the Capitol Building precluded this.

'''Important Stations'''

* Penn Station, UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity is the busiest train station in the Western Hemisphere[[note]]Though not the largest. Grand Central Terminal is the largest station in the ''world'' but it's served entirely by local rails[[/note]]. The original station was a beaux-arts masterpiece that was controversially demolished in 1964 to build the new Madison Square Garden, and the station was entirely underground for almost 60 years. In 2021, Penn Station expanded into the James Farley Post Office after decades of DevelopmentHell. This annex has been renamed Moynihan Train Hall in honor of the late U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who created the idea of rebuilding the historic Penn Station.

* Union Station, UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC is Amtrak's headquarters, the second busiest station, and just a few blocks from the Capitol. It's well-known for being a tourist attraction in its own right, with beautiful architecture and many shops, not unlike New York's Grand Central Terminal. It has a connection to the UsefulNotes/WashingtonMetro on the latter's Red Line, as well as commuter rail service into Maryland and Virginia by way of MARC and Virginia Railway Express, respectively. The station also serves as DC's hub for intercity bus services like Greyhound and Peter Pan. It is not uncommon to spot a VIP or two while you're here; President Joe Biden rode the train to DC from his home in Wilmington, Delaware (about an hour commute) the entire 36 years he served as Senator. In fact, he and wife Jill never even ''had'' a Washington residence until he became Vice President under UsefulNotes/BarackObama in 2009. And when Obama's term ended eight years later, the Bidens returned to Delaware via train, of course. In honor of Biden's decades-long advocacy for Amtrak, they named their Wilmington station after him in 2011. He also rode the train during his 2020 presidential campaign and planned to ride it back to Washington for his inauguration, but security concerns in the wake of the January 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol Building attempting to delay the certification of his Electoral College win precluded this.

* 30th Street Station, UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} is the third busiest station in the Amtrak system, as it is on the Northeast Corridor and the connection point for every train into the interior of Pennsylvania. This station, built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in the early 1900s, also has connections to [[UsefulNotes/PhiladelphiaSubways Philly's vast network of subways, streetcars, and commuter rails]], and UsefulNotes/NewJerseyTransit to Atlantic City. Despite all of this, no Amtrak trains terminate here except two early-morning Keystone Service trains that only run from Philadelphia to Harrisburg; all other Amtrak trains are through services.

* Union Station, UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} is the fourth busiest station and the hub of the Amtrak network both in the Midwest and long distance travel in general; of the thirteen long distance routes, only five[[note]]the west coast's ''Coast Starlight'', the east coast's ''Silver Star'' and ''Silver Meteor'', and the south's ''Crescent'' and ''Sunset Limited''[[/note]] don't have Chicago as a stop, and the remaining eight all have Chicago as a terminus. Traveling across the USA by train requires a transfer here[[note]]Unless the ''Crescent'' and ''Sunset Limited'' are taken, in which case the transfer is in New Orleans[[/note]]. In more trivial information, the waiting room in this station has a working fireplace. Architecturally, Chicago Union Station is arguably one of the most visually-impressive train stations in the US and reminds the visitor of the bygone era when most major cities had a train station almost as impressive.

* Union Station, UsefulNotes/LosAngeles is the sixth-busiest station (#5 is South Station, UsefulNotes/{{Boston}} if you're keeping count) and something of an oddball. It's designed to look like a [[UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} giant mission-style church]] complete with gardens, the tracks and platforms are elevated, and it's been in a state of constant expansion since 1989. It was a major hub for [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood Golden Age movie stars]] and [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII troops bound for the Pacific]] before the advent of passenger air travel, and you've seen it many times if you watched ''[[Series/TwentyFour 24]].'' It was one of the last grand "Union Statons" to be built in the US towards the tail end of the "golden age" of rail travel in the country and is one planned terminus for the new California High Speed Rail system to enter service some time in the late 2020s (the other is a yet to be constructed station in UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco).

'''Major Routes'''

'''Areas Not Served'''

* Union Station, UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC is Amtrak's headquarters, the second busiest station, and just a few blocks from the Capitol. It's well-known for being a tourist attraction in its own right, with beautiful architecture and many shops, not unlike New York's Grand Central Terminal. It has a connection to the UsefulNotes/WashingtonMetro on the latter's Red Line, as well as commuter rail service into Maryland and Virginia by way of MARC and Virginia Railway Express, respectively. The station also serves as DC's hub for intercity bus services like Greyhound and Peter Pan. It is not uncommon to spot a VIP or two while you're here; President Joe Biden rode the train to DC from his home in Wilmington, Delaware (about an hour commute) the entire 36 years he served as Senator. In fact, he and wife Jill never even ''had'' a Washington residence until he became Vice President under UsefulNotes/BarackObama in 2009. And when Obama's term ended eight years later, the Bidens returned to Delaware via train, of course. In honor of Biden's decades-long advocacy for Amtrak, they named their Wilmington station after him in 2011.

* Union Station, UsefulNotes/LosAngeles is the sixth-busiest station (UsefulNotes/{{Boston}} is #5 if you're keeping count) and something of an oddball. It's designed to look like a [[UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} giant mission-style church]] complete with gardens, the tracks and platforms are elevated, and it's been in a state of constant expansion since 1989. It was a major hub for [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood Golden Age movie stars]] and [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII troops bound for the Pacific]] before the advent of passenger air travel, and you've seen it many times if you watched ''[[Series/TwentyFour 24]].'' It was one of the last grand "Union Statons" to be built in the US towards the tail end of the "golden age" of rail travel in the country and is one planned terminus for the new California High Speed Rail system to enter service some time in the late 2020s (the other is a yet to be constructed station in UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco).

* Penn Station, UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity is the busiest station in the United States. The original station was a beaux-arts masterpiece that was controversially demolished in 1964 to build the new Madison Square Garden, and the entire station complex is now underground. Amtrak is currently planning to move the station to the James Farley Post Office and will rename it Moynihan Station in honor of the late U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who created the idea of rebuilding the historic Penn Station. However, due to lack of funds and various political infighting this plan is currently stuck in DevelopmentHell, meaning the current overcrowded Penn Station will likely remain in use for quite some time to come.

* Union Station, UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC is Amtrak's headquarters, the second busiest station, and just a few blocks from the Capitol. Well known for being a tourist attraction in its own right, with beautiful architecture and many shops, not unlike New York's Grand Central Terminal. It is not uncommon for VIP's to be seem riding the train from Washington, the most notable being Delaware Senator (and former [[UsefulNotes/AmericanPoliticalSystem Vice President]]) Joe Biden, who ''never had a residence in Washington'' until he became VP, and commuted to his home in Wilmington by Amtrak for 20+ years. How did "Amtrak Joe" return home after his term was over? Why, on Amtrak of course. It has a connection to the UsefulNotes/WashingtonMetro on the latter's Red Line, as well as commuter rail service into Maryland and Virginia by way of MARC and Virginia Railway Express, respectively.

* 30th Street Station, UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} is the third busiest station in the Amtrak system, as it is on the Northeast Corridor and the connection point for every train into the interior of Pennsylvania. This station, built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in the early 1900s, also has connections to UsefulNotes/NewJerseyTransit to Atlantic City, as well as SEPTA's vast subway, streetcar and commuter rail network. Despite all of that, no Amtrak trains terminate here (sans two early-morning Keystone Service trains that only run from Philadelphia to Harrisburg); all Amtrak trains are through services.

* Union Station, UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} is the fourth busiest station and the hub of the Amtrak network both in the Midwest and long distance travel in general; of the thirteen long distance routes, only five[[note]]the west coast's ''Coast Starlight'', the east coast's ''Silver Star'' and ''Silver Meteor'', and the south's ''Crescent'' and ''Sunset Limited''[[/note]] don't have Chicago as a stop, and the remaining eight all have Chicago as a terminus. Traveling across the USA by train requires a transfer here[[note]]Unless the ''Crescent'' and ''Sunset Limited'' are taken, in which case the transfer is in New Orleans[[/note]]. In more trivial information, the waiting room in this station has a working fireplace. Architecturally, Chicago Union Station is probably one of the most impressive in the US if not the world and reminds the visitor of the bygone era when most major cities had a train station almost as impressive.

* Union Station, UsefulNotes/LosAngeles is the fifth busiest station and something of an oddball. It's designed to look like a [[UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} giant mission-style church]] complete with gardens, the tracks and platforms are elevated, and it's been in a state of constant expansion since 1989. It was a major hub for [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood Golden Age movie stars]] and [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII troops bound for the Pacific]], and you've seen it many times if you watched ''[[Series/TwentyFour 24]].'' It was one of the last grand "Union Statons" to be built in the US towards the tail end of the "golden age" of rail travel in the country and is one planned terminus for the new California High Speed Rail system to enter service some time in the late 2020s (the other is a yet to be constructed station in UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco).

* The ''Capitol Corridor'' is Northern California's answer to the Pacific Surfliner, running from San Jose to Auburn (and soon to Reno) by way of Oakland and Sacramento. Amtrak notably does not reach San Francisco.[[note]]The previous train station in San Francisco was damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake (which happened right during a world series game involving two Bay Area teams) and has been out of use ever since. Passengers wanting to reach San Francisco can board a Thruway bus in Emeryville across the bay. The Richmond and Oakland Coliseum stations also have connections to [[UsefulNotes/BayAreaRapidTransit BART]] and the San Jose Diridon station has connections to Caltrain and VTA light rail to reach other Bay Area destinations. However, the California High Speed Rail project includes a new station for San Francisco and construction is already underway[[/note]] Popular with state officials.

* Amtrak is only active in the 48 contiguous states, with some routes extending north to Canada's three largest cities: Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Alaska has its own railroad, the Alaska Railroad, which provides both freight and passenger service, while Hawaii is obviously better served by plane and boat. Of the Lower 48, the only states not served by Amtrak in any capacity are South Dakota and Wyoming.

So Congress passed a law ending this requirement and replacing it with a skeletal network that became Amtrak. It began service in May of 1971. Though ridership has rebounded enormously since then, the network is run on a [[NoBudget very small budget]], so certain priorities have to be set. It doesn't help that it is continually subject to ExecutiveMeddling from Congress, making silly mandates such as requiring Amtrak to carry guns in checked baggage (without providing any funds for lockable cabinets for said guns), as well as threats to cut off funding for onboard food service. Then, of course, are the continual demands that Amtrak somehow pay for itself, despite no other non high speed passenger rail system in the world making a profit, and despite massive federal funding for competing highways and airports. Things got a bit better during the Vice-Presidency of RailEnthusiast UsefulNotes/JoeBiden, while the increasing costs and [[OverreactingAirportSecurity general unpleasantness]] of air travel, plus highways becoming increasingly congested and in some cases, rather boring to drive (especially through flat, practically featureless farmland), resulted in Amtrak ridership numbers topping 30 million for five straight years (FY 2011-2015), breaking ridership records several times along the way. Amtrak is also famous for making GOP senators who cry for the abandonment of all rail travel shriek in horror if a closure of a line through ''their'' state is proposed. Amtrak does bring vital tourist dollars to rural areas of FlyOverCountry (for the precise reason that [[CaptainObvious a train does not fly over said country]]) and pretty much every politician knows and acknowledges this, the only question is whether the funding for Amtrak is worth that. The answer depends highly on whose district the line runs through. The current Amtrak system map has about as much to do with politics as it does with transportation or the behavior of host railroads.

So Congress passed a law ending this requirement and replacing it with a skeletal network that became Amtrak. It began service in May of 1971. Though ridership has rebounded enormously since then, the network is run on a [[NoBudget very small budget]], so certain priorities have to be set. It doesn't help that it is continually subject to ExecutiveMeddling from Congress, making silly mandates such as requiring Amtrak to carry guns in checked baggage (without providing any funds for lockable cabinets for said guns), as well as threats to cut off funding for onboard food service. Then, of course, are the continual demands that Amtrak somehow pay for itself, despite no other non high speed passenger rail system in the world making a profit, and despite [massive federal funding for competing highways and airports. Things got a bit better during the Vice-Presidency of RailEnthusiast [[UsefulNotes/JoeBiden Joe Biden]], while the increasing costs and [[OverreactingAirportSecurity general unpleasantness]] of air travel, plus highways becoming increasingly congested and in some cases, rather boring to drive (especially through flat, practically featureless farmland), resulted in Amtrak ridership numbers topping 30 million for five straight years (FY 2011-2015), breaking ridership records several times along the way. Amtrak is also famous for making GOP senators who cry for the abandonment of all rail travel shriek in horror if a closure of a line through ''their'' state is proposed. Amtrak does bring vital tourist dollars to rural areas of FlyOverCountry (for the precise reason that [[CaptainObvious a train does not fly over said country]]) and pretty much every politician knows and acknowledges this, the only question is whether the funding for Amtrak is worth that. The answer depends highly on whose district the line runs through. The current Amtrak system map has about as much to do with politics as it does with transportation or the behavior of host railroads.

* Besides San Francisco, other major US cities with no direct Amtrak service include Phoenix, UsefulNotes/LasVegas (as surprising as that may sound given its status as a tourist hub), Columbus, Nashville, Louisville, and Tulsa.

* UsefulNotes/LasVegas is the largest city in the US with no passenger rail service, as surprising as that may sound given its status as a tourist hub. It used to be served by the ''Desert Wind'', but that route was discontinued in 1997. Attempts at restoring rail service in Vegas is an occasional subject of local politics. Other major US cities with no Amtrak connection include Columbus, Nashville, Louisville, and Tulsa.

* The ''Capitol Corridor'' is Northern California's answer to the Pacific Surfliner, running from San Jose to Auburn (and soon to Reno) by way of Oakland and Sacramento. Amtrak notably does not reach San Francisco.[[note]]The previous train station in San Francisco was damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake (which happened right during a world series game involving two Bay Area teams) and has been out of use ever since. Passengers wanting to reach San Francisco can board a Thruway bus in Emeryville across the bay. The Richmond and Oakland Coliseum stations also have connections to [[UsefulNotes/BayAreaRapidTransit BART]] and the San Jose Diridon station has connections to Caltrain to reach other Bay Area destinations. However, the California High Speed Rail project includes a new station for San Francisco and construction is already underway[[/note]] Popular with state officials.

* The ''Coast Starlight'' goes from Los Angeles to Seattle. Well known for its beautiful scenery. It used to be so notorious for the aforementioned delays due to freight trains that it was nicknamed the "Coast Starlate".

Amtrak, the UsefulNotes/{{trademark}} name of The National Passenger Railway Corporation, is the national railway of the United States. Privately-owned passenger trains in the US had always operated at a loss or barely covering costs[[note]]They were mostly intended as a loss leader to get [=CEOs=] to sign on to lucrative freight contracts and/or to make land of places served more lucrative[[/note]]. As car ownership and passenger flights exploded following UsefulNotes/WorldWarII,[[note]]In part due to massive government spending on the development of many advances in aviation for military purposes, the Interstate Highway System, and other measures that benefited road and air travel while railroads still paid taxes (sometimes even taxes specifically earmarked for road or air travel)[[/note]] many railroad companies were going out of business, in part because the government required them to provide passenger service. In 1969, the largest bankruptcy in history at that point was the Penn Central Railroad[[note]]A merger of two major East Coast railways, which arguably massively botched the merging process at a time when they could not afford to make any mistakes[[/note]], essentially bankrupted by money-losing passenger service, and it proceeded to get worse (more big railroads would go under) if something wasn't done.

* Amtrak is only active in the 48 contiguous states and Canada's three largest cities: Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Alaska has its own railroad, the Alaska Railroad, which provides both freight and passenger service, and Hawaii is obviously better served by plane and boat. Of the Lower 48, the only states not served by Amtrak in any capacity are South Dakota and Wyoming.
* UsefulNotes/LasVegas is the largest city in the US with no passenger rail service, as surprising as that may sound given its status as a tourist hub. It used to be served by the ''Desert Wind'', but that route was discontinued in 1997. Attempts at restoring rail service in Vegas is an occasional subject of local politics.

'''Areas Not Served''

'''Other Facts'''
* [[UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} Columbus]] is the largest city in the US with no passenger rail service, with UsefulNotes/LasVegas (of all places) being a close second. Both cities ''had'' a direct Amtrak connection in the past--the ''National Limited'' and ''Desert Wind'', respectively--but these lines were discontinued in 1979 and 1997. Attempts at restoring rail service in both cities are occasional subjects of local politics, but have languished in DevelopmentHell. Mind you, Amtrak does provide shuttle buses to these cities from the closest train stop, but it's often cheaper and easier to either fly or take a Greyhound bus from the start.
* The Phoenix metro area ''technically'' has rail service by way of the outer suburb of Maricopa, 30 miles outside the city, but in order to get to Phoenix proper, you have to take a shuttle bus from there or from Flagstaff in northern Arizona. Like Columbus and Las Vegas, Phoenix proper had direct service in the past, but it was discontinued in 1995 with sporadic efforts to bring it back since.

Amtrak, the UsefulNotes/{{trademark}} name of The National Passenger Railway Corporation, is the national railway of the United States. Privately-owned passenger trains in the US had always operated at a loss or barely covering costs[[note]]They were mostly intended as a loss leader to get [=CEOs=] to sign on to lucrative freight contracts and/or to make land of places served more lucrative[[/note]]. As car ownership and passenger flights exploded following UsefulNotes/WorldWarII,[[note]]In part due to massive government spending on the development of many advances in aviation for military purposes, the Interstate Highway System and other measures that benefited road and air travel while railroads still paid taxes, sometimes even taxes specifically earmarked for road or air travel[[/note]] many railroad companies were going out of business, in part because the government required them to provide passenger service. In 1969, the largest bankruptcy in history at that point was the Penn Central Railroad[[note]]A merger of two major East Coast railways, which arguably massively botched the merging process at a time when they could not afford to make any mistakes[[/note]], essentially bankrupted by money-losing passenger service, and it proceeded to get worse (more big railroads would go under) if something wasn't done.

* [[UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} Columbus]] is the largest city in the US with no passenger rail service, with UsefulNotes/LasVegas being a close second. Both cities ''had'' a direct Amtrak connection in the past--the ''National Limited'' and ''Desert Wind'', respectively--but these lines were discontinued in 1979 and 1997. Attempts at restoring rail service in both cities are occasional subjects of local politics, but have languished in DevelopmentHell. Mind you, Amtrak does provide shuttle buses to these cities from the closest train stop, but it's often cheaper and easier to either fly or take a Greyhound bus from the start.

In the most heavily populated region, the Northeast, the rail system is extensive enough to rival those of Europe and includes a high-speed line. Everywhere else, it's generally slower than rail travel seventy years ago; this isn't for any technological reason, but rather largely one of power and scheduling (i.e.: the freight companies own most of the track, and often give their trains priority over Amtrak in scheduling; this results in a lot of delays outside major rail hubs like Chicago, as an Amtrak train may have to wait as much as an hour to let one or two or more freight trains pass before pulling into the station) and to some degree infrastructure (a lot of track could use some upgrades and much of it is single-track, which slows down times, and the bulk of Amtrak's equipment dates back to the 1970s-1990s, an issue that is only now being rectified with new locomotives and cars thanks to a stimulus package during the Great Recession). However, UsefulNotes/HighSpeedRail - or at least the cheap American knock off version of it - is set to be extended to other regions in the next decade (the "[[UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} Chicago Hub]]" region--which extends from Cleveland and Detroit to Kansas City east-west and Minneapolis to Louisville north-south--has seen particularly extensive improvements to Amtrak in preparation for it). But if media depict a passenger train in the contemporary US, it will most likely be an Amtrak train. In particular, it will likely be either a ''Pacific Surfliner''[[note]]Going from San Diego to San Luis Obispo via LA[[/note]] or a ''Northeast Corridor'' train[[note]]Particularly the Acela Express, which only has first and business class (no coach) and is one of the most expensive trains in the world - but it actually makes an "above the rails" profit[[/note]], even if the setting is [[JustTrainWrong somewhere completely]] [[FlyoverCountry different.]]

So Congress passed a law ending this requirement and replacing it with a skeletal network that became Amtrak. It began service in May of 1971. Though ridership has rebounded enormously since then, the network is run on a [[NoBudget very small budget]], so certain priorities have to be set. It doesn't help that it is continually subject to ExecutiveMeddling from Congress, making silly mandates such as requiring Amtrak to carry guns in checked baggage (without providing any funds for lockable cabinets for said guns), as well as threats to cut off funding for onboard food service. Then, of course, are the continual demands that Amtrak somehow pay for itself, despite no other non high speed passenger rail system in the world making a profit, and despite [massive federal funding for competing highways and airports. Things got a bit better during the Vice-Presidency of RailEnthusiast [[UsefulNotes/JoeBiden Joe Biden]], while the increasing costs and [[OverreactingAirportSecurity general unpleasantness]] of air travel, plus highways becoming increasingly congested and in some cases, rather boring to drive (especially through flat, practically featureless farmland), resulted in Amtrak ridership numbers topping 30 million for five straight years (FY 2011-2015), breaking ridership records several times along the way. Amtrak is also famous for making GOP senators who cry for the abandonment of all rail travel shriek in horror if a closure of a line through ''their'' state is proposed. Amtrak does bring vital tourist dollars to rural areas of FlyOverCountry (for the precise reason that a train does not fly over said country) and pretty much every politician knows and acknowledges this, the only question is whether the funding for Amtrak is worth that. The answer depends highly on whose district the line runs through. The current Amtrak system map has about as much to do with politics as it does with transportation or the behavior of host railroads.

* The ''Capitol Corridor'' is Northern California's answer to the Pacific Surfliner, running from San Jose to Auburn (and soon to Reno) by way of Oakland and Sacramento. Amtrak notably does not reach San Francisco.[[note]]The previous train station in San Francisco was damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake (which happened right during a world series game involving two Bay Area teams) and has been out of use ever since. Passengers wanting to reach San Francisco can board a Thruway bus in Emeryville across the bay. The Richmond and Oakland Coliseum stations also have connections to [[UsefulNotes/BayAreaRapidTransit BART]] to reach other Bay Area destinations. However, the California High Speed Rail project includes a new station for San Francisco and construction is already underway[[/note]] Popular with state officials.

* The ''Coast Starlight'' goes from Los Angeles to Seattle. Well known for its beautiful scenery.

* [[UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} Columbus]] is the largest city in the US with no passenger rail service, with UsefulNotes/LasVegas being a close second. Both cities ''had'' a direct Amtrak connection in the past--the ''National Limited'' and ''Desert Wind'', respectively--but these lines were discontinued in 1979 and 1997. Attempts at restoring rail service in both cities are frequent subjects of local politics and have languished in DevelopmentHell in the decades since. Mind you, Amtrak does provide shuttle buses to these cities from the closest train stop, but it's often cheaper and easier to either fly or take a bus from the start.

* [[UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} Columbus]] is the largest city in the US with no passenger rail service, with UsefulNotes/LasVegas being a close second. Both cities ''had'' a direct Amtrak connection in the past--the ''National Limited'' and ''Desert Wind'', respectively--but these lines were discontinued in 1979 and 1997. Attempts at restoring rail service in both cities are frequent subjects of local politics and have languished in DevelopmentHell in the decades since. Mind you, Amtrak does provide shuttle buses to these cities from the closest train stop, but it may be simpler to either fly or take a bus from the start.