History UsefulNotes / Amtrak

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. UsefulNotes/RichardNixon intended Amtrak as a "Last Hurrah" that would [[SpringtimeForHitler demonstrate once and for all]] that Americans didn't want or need passenger trains and thus allowing his administration to quietly shut the system down after a few years. Nixon's plan failed. 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[[note]]Most guns have a value of ''at least'' several hundred dollars, with many being worth thousands. No sane gun owner wants their valuable weapon to be outside their home in an ''unlocked'' cabinet were literally anyone could walk up and steal it.[[/note]]), 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[[note]]As of its 40th anniversary in 2011, it had received less funding in its entire existence than the Interstate received ''annually''[[/note]] 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.

* While San Francisco is often cited for its lack of intercity rail service, the truth is that you ''can'' take a train to Oakland right across the bay, so the Bay Area isn't completely without an Amtrak connection. The Bay Area is also served by stations at Martinez, Richmond, Emeryville, Fremont, and San Jose. Major cities with no direct Amtrak service to speak of include Phoenix, [[UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} Columbus]], UsefulNotes/LasVegas (as surprising as that may sound given its status as a tourist hub), Nashville, Louisville, and Tulsa.

* While San Francisco is often cited for its lack of intercity rail service, the truth is that you ''can'' take a train to Oakland right across the bay, so the Bay Area isn't completely without an Amtrak connection. Major cities with no direct Amtrak service to speak of include Phoenix, [[UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} Columbus]], UsefulNotes/LasVegas (as surprising as that may sound given its status as a tourist hub), 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. The previous train station in San Francisco was damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and has been out of use ever since. Passengers wanting to reach San Francisco can either 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. Popular with state officials.

* '''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 SEPTA commuter rail to Philadelphia, but it's most notable for its connection 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.[[note]]Biden's daily commute was also in part the result of [[IGaveMyWord a promise he made to his sons]] after a horrific car accident killed his daughter and first wife: he had promised to be home with them every evening, a promise he kept throughout their childhood.[[/note]] 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.

[[quoteright:321:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/amtk_1269.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:321:[[Main/{{Slogans}} Just an Amtrak Away]]]]

* '''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 SEPTA commuter rail to Philadelphia, but it's most notable for its connection 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.[[note]]Biden's daily commute was also in part the result of [[IGaveMyWord a promise he made to his sons]] after a horrific car accident killed his daughter and first wife: he had promised to be home with them every evening, a promise he kept throughout their childhood.[[/note]] 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 that.

* 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. The previous train station in San Francisco was damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake 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. Popular with state officials.

* While San Francisco is often cited for its lack of intercity rail service, the truth is that you ''can'' take a train to Oakland right across the bay, so the Bay Area isn't completely without an Amtrak connection. Major cities with no direct Amtrak connection to speak of include Phoenix, [[UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} Columbus]], UsefulNotes/LasVegas (as surprising as that may sound given its status as a tourist hub), Nashville, Louisville, and Tulsa.

* The ''Keystone Service'' from New York to Harrisburg via Philadelphia. There's also one train per day that goes beyond Harrisburg to UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}}, which is labeled the ''Pennsylvanian''. The section between Philadelphia and Harrisburg (known as the Keystone Corridor) is Amtrak's only electrified corridor outside of the Northeast Corridor, though as with most service, electrification ends at Harrisburg. This route, particularly the ''Pennsylvanian'', is also popular with the state's large UsefulNotes/{{Amish}} population, as they don't drive and generally find rail travel more [[https://amishamerica.com/how-do-amish-travel/ culturally agreeable]] than flying. Once they reach Pittsburgh they're able to take the ''Lake Shore Limited'' into Ohio and points further west.

* '''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.

* '''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. On a side note, when travelling through Pennsylvania, don't be surprised to see scores of UsefulNotes/{{Amish}} people riding the train, as they don't drive and they generally find rail travel more [[https://amishamerica.com/how-do-amish-travel/ culturally agreeable]] than flying.

* The ''Keystone Service'' from New York to Harrisburg via Philadelphia. There's also one train per day that goes beyond Harrisburg to UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}}, which is labeled the ''Pennsylvanian''. The section between Philadelphia and Harrisburg (known as the Keystone Corridor) is Amtrak's only electrified corridor outside of the Northeast Corridor, though as with most service, electrification ends at Harrisburg.

* '''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. On a side note, when travelling through Pennsylvania, don't be surprised to see scores of UsefulNotes/{{Amish}} people riding the train, as they don't drive and they generally find rail travel more [[https://amishamerica.com/can-amish-fly/ culturally agreeable]] than flying.

* '''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 SEPTA commuter rail to Philadelphia, but it's most notable for its connection 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.[[note]]Biden's daily commute was also in part the result of [[IGaveMyWord a promise he made to his sons]] after a horrific car accident killed his daughter and first wife: he had promised to be home with them every evening, a promise he kept throughout their childhood.[[/note]] 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, serving the busy Northeast Corridor as well as SEPTA commuter rail to Philadelphia, but most notable is its connection 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.[[note]]Biden's daily commute was also in part the result of [[IGaveMyWord a promise he made to his sons]] after a horrific car accident killed his daughter and first wife: he had promised to be home with them every evening, a promise he kept throughout their childhood.[[/note]] 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.

* '''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.

* Amtrak is only active in the 48 contiguous states, with some routes extending north to [[UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver]]. Alaska has its own railroad company, the Alaska Railroad, which provides both freight and passenger service, while Hawaii is obviously better reached by plane and boat (though there is a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honolulu_Rail_Transit project to build Urban Rail]] in Honolulu which is finally under construction after decades of DevelopmentHell[[note]]Republican Neal Blaisdell who had [[https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/21305380.Neal_Shaw_Blaisdell this]] to say about motorcars was an early proponent of such a system in ''1966''[[/note]]). Of the Lower 48, the only states not served by Amtrak in any capacity are South Dakota and Wyoming. President Biden's plans for expanding Amtrak service would include a link to Cheyenne, Wyoming, but no such luck for South Dakota.
* While San Francisco is often cited for its lack of intercity rail service, the truth is that you ''can'' take a train to Oakland right across the bay, so the metro area isn't ''completely'' without an Amtrak connection. US cities with no direct Amtrak connection to speak of include Phoenix, [[UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} Columbus]], UsefulNotes/LasVegas (as surprising as that may sound given its status as a tourist hub), Nashville, Louisville, and Tulsa.

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

[[caption-width-right:350:[[Main/{{Slogans}} Just an Amtrak Away]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[Main/{{Slogans}} Just an Amtrak Away]]

* '''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 SEPTA commuter rail to Philadelphia, but most notable is its connection 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. Biden's daily commute was also in part the result of [[IGaveMyWord a promise he made to his sons]] after a horrific car accident killed his daughter and first wife: he had promised to be home with them every evening, a promise he kept throughout their childhood. 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, serving the busy Northeast Corridor as well as SEPTA 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. Biden's daily commute was also in part the result of [[IGaveMyWord a promise he made to his kids]] after a horrific car accident killed his first wife and one of his kids, seriously injuring another - he had promised them to be home with them every evening - a promise he kept throughout their childhood. 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.

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[[note]]Most guns have a value of ''at least'' several hundred dollars, with many being worth thousands. No sane gun owner wants their valuable weapon to be outside their home in an ''unlocked'' cabinet were literally anyone could walk up and steal it.[[/note]]), 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[[note]]As of its 40th anniversary in 2011, it had received less funding in its entire existence than the Interstate received ''annually''[[/note]] 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.

* '''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 SEPTA 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.

* Amtrak is only active in the 48 contiguous states, with some routes extending north to [[UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver]]. Alaska has its own railroad company, 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.

* 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. The previous train station in Oakland was damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake 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. Popular with state officials.

* 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. The previous train station in San Francisco was damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake 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. Popular with state officials.

* The Northeast Corridor extends from UsefulNotes/{{Boston}} to UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC, serving several major cities in the northeastern region. It’s the only fully electrified Amtrak line, and thus one can instantly tell if a picture is from the Northeast Corridor by the presence of the overhead wires. The primary service on the corridor is the ''Northeast Regional'', running from either Boston, Springfield or New York to either Washington, DC, Richmond, Newport News or Lynchburg (with an extension to Roanoke set to open in 2016). Due to the region's high population density, it is one of the few Amtrak lines that turns a profit; it and the Acela Express together generate more than half of the entire system's revenue. The route uses mostly electric equipment[[note]] except for the Virginia section of the route from Washington DC to Newport News or Lynchburg, and on the branch line from New Haven to Springfield, which are diesel-powered[[/note]]. Note that some trains that begin in Springfield require one to transfer to a train coming from Boston at New Haven to head towards points further south.

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[[note]]Most guns have a value of ''at least'' several hundred dollars, with many being worth thousands. No sane gun owner wants their valuable weapon to be outside their home in an ''unlocked'' cabinet were literally anyone could walk up and steal it.[[/note]]), 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.