Freight rail operators are required under federal law to give dispatching preference to Amtrak trains. Some freight railroads have been accused of violating or skirting these regulations, allegedly resulting in passenger trains waiting in sidings for an hour or longer while waiting for freight traffic to clear the track. The railroads' dispatching practices were investigated in 2008, resulting in stricter laws about train priority which had a dramatic impact. Amtrak's overall on-time performance went up from 74.7% in fiscal 2008 to 84.7% in 2009, with long-distance trains and others outside the Northeast Corridor seeing the greatest benefit. The Missouri River Runner jumped from a very poor 11% to 95%, becoming one of Amtrak's best performers. The Texas Eagle went from 22.4% to 96.7%, and the California Zephyr, with an abysmal 5% on-time record in 2008, went up to 78.3%.However, this improved performance also coincided with a general economic downturn, resulting in the lowest freight rail traffic volumes since at least 1988, meaning less freight traffic to impede passenger traffic.
The Carolinian stopping in Raleigh, North Carolina in "Phase V" livery.
Separately, a 1947 Interstate Commerce Commission order required, by year-end 1951, enhanced safety features for all trains traveling above a 79 mph limit. The infrastructure required for cab signaling, automatic train stop and other enhancements were uneconomical for freight railroads in most of the US. Crucially, outside the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak trains primarily use trackage rights to travel on freight railroad tracks. So this ICC safety rule effectively killed further development of US high-speed rail outside of the Northeast Corridor. In the Northeast Corridor the Pennsylvania Railroad and others already had installed cab signaling by 1947. By contrast, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia all operate trains at 100 mph (160 km/h) or higher using conventional lineside signalling.
As a result of that 1947 ICC order, few trains in the United States operate above 79 mph (127 km/h) outside of the Northeast Corridor. A notable exception is the Southwest Chief, which travels up to 90 miles per hour (140 km/h) along various stretches of its Chicago–Los Angeles route. However, positive train control (PTC) signaling is required to be implemented by 2015 under the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008; PTC signaling is sufficient to remove the 79 mph limit. The Wolverine has already had some PTC signaling and other upgrades put in place to enable higher speeds. PTC has proven to be a much less expensive method to provide enhanced signaling than earlier technologies used in the United States.
South Station, in Boston, Massachusetts, is a major transportation hub for interstate Amtrak trains and for the MBTA commuter rail.
In Britain, for example, the 393-mile (632 km) journey from London to Edinburgh is completed in around four and a half hours (an average speed of around 87 miles (140 km) per hour). In the USA, the 340-mile (550 km) journey on the Cardinal from New York to Charlottesville takes some seven hours, an average of just under 49 miles (79 km) per hour. Even the flagship Acela service between New York and Boston only averages, in its three and a half hour journey, around 63 miles (101 km) per hour, in large part due to the age of the trackage and catenary system, which has been undergoing renovation in stages since Acela's 2001 introduction. Also, some segments of track in the Northeast Corridor are too close together for the Acela carriages to safely tilt while also maintaining FRA-mandated minimum space between trains on parallel tracks.
Unlike Canada, the US, and most of the UK, the dedicated high-speed trains (e.g. Japan's Shinkansen, France's TGV) of China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain generally use special high-speed railroad tracks that were constructed for the sole use of high-speed passenger trains.
Train frequency
Frequency of trains even between major destinations in the USA (again outside the Northeast Corridor) is low when compared with most European countries. Many long distance main lines in Europe operate to half-hourly frequencies throughout the day, whereas in the USA many major cities (such as Indianapolis and Dallas) have once-daily intercity rail service. The causes for this are disputed.
For usage of Amtrak trains/routes: see List of Amtrak routes
Ridership
The ridership for US intercity lines is lower than in most of Europe and much of Japan.
For example, the route from Chicago to San Antonio (the Texas Eagle), taking in Fort Worth and other major cities and towns along its route, had a ridership in 2008 of just 251,518 passengers; while the relatively minor station of Lowestoft (population 55,000) in Suffolk, England had a patronage of over 410,000 for the same period. Some Amtrak routes (for example the Heartland Flyer with its ridership of only 80,892 per annum that Amtrak operates under contracts with the Government of Oklahoma and the Government of Texas) have minuscule ridership compared with European standards.
Guest rewards
EMD F59PHI locomotive used for Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin service
Amtrak's loyalty program, Guest Rewards, is similar to the frequent-flyer programs of many airlines. Guest Rewards members accumulate points by riding Amtrak and through other activities, and can redeem these points for free or discounted Amtrak tickets and other rewards.
Freight
Amtrak Express provides small-package and less-than-truckload shipping among more than 100 cities. Amtrak Express also offers station-to-station shipment of human remains to many express cities. At smaller stations, funeral directors must load and unload the shipment onto and off the train. Amtrak hauled mail for the United States Postal Service and time-sensitive freight, but discontinued these services in October 2004 when the contract was lost. On most parts of the few lines that Amtrak owns, trackage-rights agreements allow freight railroads to use its trackage.
Commuter services
Commuter rail in North America
Through various commuter services, Amtrak serves an additional 61.1 million passengers per year in conjunction with state and regional authorities in California (through Amtrak California, Caltrain, and Metrolink), Connecticut (through Shore Line East), Maryland (through MARC), and Washington.
Amtrak's Capitol Corridor, Pacific Surfliner (formerly San Diegan), and San Joaquin are funded mostly by the California Department of Transportation, Caltrans, rather than the US Federal Government.
Classes of service
Amtrak has a variety of coaches that suit a variety of needs. Class choices are similar to those used by airlines.
Bi-level Superliner cars, used on long-distance routes, except in the Northeast because of height issues.
First Class
First Class service is currently offered on the Acela Express only. Previously First Class was offered on the Northeast Direct (predecessor to the Northeast Regional) as well as the Metroliner up until that service's discontinuation in 2006.
Seats are larger than those of Business Class and come in a variety of seating modes (single, single with table, double, double with table and wheelchair accessible). First Class is located in separate cars from the other classes. First Class includes complimentary meal and beverage service along with free newspapers and hot towel service. First Class seats are set in a 1x2 configuration. There are two attendants per car.
First Class passengers have access to Amtrak ClubAcela lounges in Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York and Boston. ClubAcela lounges offer complimentary drinks, personal ticketing service, lounge seating, conference areas, computer/internet access and televisions tuned to CNN. At the Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., lounges, passengers can board their train directly from the lounge. In Philadelphia passengers use an elevator to access the train, while in Washington passengers leave through a side door leading to the train platform.
Sleeper Service
Sleeper Service rooms are considered First Class on long distance trains. Rooms are classified into roomettes, bedrooms, family bedrooms and accessible bedrooms. With the price of a room comes complimentary meals and attendant service. At night, rooms turn into sleeping areas with fold-down beds and fresh linens. Complimentary bottled water, newspapers and turn down service are included as well.
Sleeper car passengers have access to the entire train. Sleeper passengers also have access to the ClubAcela lounges in stations along the Northeast Corridor and access to the Metropolitan Lounges in Chicago, Miami, New Orleans, Portland (Oregon), and Minneapolis/Saint Paul.
Business Class
Business Class is the minimum class of service on the Acela Express and is offered as an upgrade on Northeast Regional and similar trains. Business Class seats are larger than coach seats. Business Class passengers have easy access to the cafe car, either seated at one end of the cafe car or with the cafe car separating the Business Class cars from Regional Coach Cars. Business Class passengers also receive complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and newspapers (typically The New York Times, even if boarding/originating outside New York city).
Two different Business Class seat configurations exist:
Some trains feature Business Class seats at one end of the Cafe Car. These leather seats are in a 1x2 style, with cup holders, leg rests, and recline substantially.
Other trains feature a dedicated Business Class car, which is actually a rebranded Long-Distance Coach car. The Long-Distance Coach or Business Class cars have more comfortable seats, more leg room and upgraded foot rests, compared with a Regional Coach car. The cloth seats are organised in a 2x2 style, offer leg rests, offer North American standard (120 V, 60 Hz) electrical outlets along the windows, but lack cup holders. One end of this car type normally has open floor space for luggage that will not fit in the overhead racks.
Amfleet snack bar car, known as a "Cafe car", in an eastern Amtrak train
Amfleet coach seating
Coach Class
Amtrak has several variations that it considers Coach Class.
Reserved Coach
Reserved Coach is the standard class of service on most Amtrak trains (except Acela). Coach seats are always set in a 2x2 configuration, but the seats themselves come in two varieties:
Regional Coach is found on shorter (day) routes such as the Northeast Regional, Empire Service, the Keystone, and the Downeaster. Seats in this type of car are comparable to economy seating on airlines, with slightly more generous legroom and recline.
Long Distance Coach is only found on overnight sleeper routes, such as the Empire Builder and the Lakeshore Limited. These seats are equivalent to the Business Class seats on Amtrak's Regional routes, having a much deeper recline, more legroom, footrests, and North American standard (120 V, 60 Hz) power outlets along the windows.
All ticketed passengers are guaranteed a seat, although passengers are not assigned a specific seat before boarding. The lack of advance seat assignment is unlike Canada's Via Rail and many long distance train services in Europe. If the train is not sold out, passengers are usually permitted to purchase tickets on the day of departure, or in some cases aboard the train.
Unreserved Coach
Unreserved Coach seating is offered on a first-come, first-served basis on some of Amtrak's shorter distance and commuter-oriented routes. Unreserved coach is also used as a designator when Amtrak through-books an itinerary with a regional transit operator's commuter service (such as New Jersey Transit's Atlantic City Line)
Trains and tracks
A southbound Downeaster passenger train at Ocean Park, Maine, as viewed from the cab of a northbound train.
Most tracks on which Amtrak operates are owned by freight railroads, but Amtrak owns the rail track in most of the Northeast Corridor and a few other places.
Tracks not owned or leased by Amtrak
Amtrak operates over all Class I railroads in the United States, as well as several regional railroads and short lines. Other sections are owned by terminal railroads jointly controlled by freight companies or by commuter rail agencies. It is able to do this because Amtrak has trackage rights, but it does not maintain those tracks or control train movements on those tracks.
The arrangement has two notable impacts on Amtrak operations:
The host railroad is responsible for maintenance. Occasionally, Amtrak has suffered service disruptions from untimely track rehabilitation. When host railroads have simply refused to maintain their tracks to Amtrak's needs, Amtrak occasionally has been compelled to pay the host to maintain the tracks.
Amtrak has priority over freight traffic only for a specified and small window of time. When a passenger train misses that window, for example due to an earlier delay, host railroads may (and frequently do) direct passenger trains to follow slower freight traffic. This means that severely even minor delays quickly become major delays. In some cases, an unauthorized delay caused by a freight railroad might expose the host railroad to financial penalties by law.
Tracks owned or leased by Amtrak
Along the Northeast Corridor and in several other areas, Amtrak owns 730 route-miles of track (1175 km), including 17 tunnels consisting of 29.7 miles (47.8 km) of track, and 1,186 bridges (including the famous Hell Gate Bridge) consisting of 42.5 miles (68.4 km) of track. Amtrak owns and operates the following lines:
In several places, primarily in New England, Amtrak leases tracks, providing track maintenance and controlling train movements. Most often, these tracks are leased from state, regional, or local governments.
Northeast Corridor
An electric Amtrak train with two AEM-7 locomotives running through New Jersey on the Northeast Corridor.
The Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C. and Boston via Baltimore, Philadelphia, Newark, New York and Providence is largely owned by Amtrak, working cooperatively with several state and regional commuter agencies. Amtrak's portion was acquired in 1976 as a result of the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act.
Boston to the Massachusetts/Rhode Island state line (operated and maintained by Amtrak, but owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts)
118.3 miles (190.4 km), Massachusetts/Rhode Island state line to New Haven, Connecticut
240 miles (390 km), New Rochelle, New York to Washington, D.C.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority operate the line between New Haven, Connecticut and New Rochelle, NY through the Metro-North Railroad, with ownership as follows:
Between New Haven, Connecticut and the New York/Connecticut border (Port Chester/Greenwich) the track is owned by the state of Connecticut.
Between Port Chester, NY and New Rochelle, NY the track is owned by the state of New York.
Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line
This line runs from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. As a result of an investment partnership with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, signal and track improvements were completed in October 2006 that allow all-electric service with a top speed of 110 miles per hour (180 km/h) to run along the corridor.
104 miles (167 km), Philadelphia to Harrisburg (Pennsylvanian and Keystone Service)
Empire Corridor
11 miles (18 km), New York Penn Station to Spuyten Duyvil, New York
35.9 miles (57.8 km), Stuyvesant to Schenectady, New York (operated and maintained by Amtrak, but owned by CSX)
8.5 miles (14 km), Schenectady to Hoffmans, New York
New Haven-Springfield Line
60.5 miles (97.4 km), New Haven to Springfield (Northeast Regional, Vermonter, and especially the New Haven–Springfield Shuttle).
Other tracks
Chicago–Detroit Line – 98 miles (160 km), Porter, Indiana to Kalamazoo, Michigan (Blue Water and Wolverine)
Post Road Branch – 12.42 miles (19.99 km), Post Road Junction to Rensselaer, New York (Lake Shore Limited)
Amtrak also owns station and yard tracks in Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, Oakland (Kirkham Street Yard), Orlando, Portland, Oregon, Saint Paul, Minnesota, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.
Amtrak leases station and yard tracks in Hialeah, near Miami, Florida, from the State of Florida.
Amtrak owns the Chicago Union Station Company (Chicago Union Station) and Penn Station Leasing (New York Penn Station). It has a 99.7% interest in the Washington Terminal Company (tracks around Washington Union Station) and 99% of 30th Street Limited (Philadelphia 30th Street Station). Also owned by Amtrak is Passenger Railroad Insurance.
Other infrastructure:
Freedom Tunnel
Morrisville-Trenton RR Bridge
North River Tunnels
East River Tunnels
Sunnyside Yard
Amtrak Services (Quick Reference)
Northbound Silver Star heading to New York in Winter Park, Florida.
In this 2008 photo, Amtrak P42DC Locomotive No. 29 waits in Comstock, Michigan, for a westbound train to pass.
Service Route
Acela Express Boston – Washington,D.C.
Adirondack Montreal – New York City (via Albany)
Amtrak Cascades Vancouver – Eugene, Oregon (via Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington)
Auto Train Lorton (Washington, D.C. area)- Sanford (Orlando, Florida area)
Blue Water Chicago – Port Huron
California Zephyr Chicago – Emeryville (San Francisco)
Capitol Corridor Auburn – Sacramento – San Jose (via Oakland)
Capitol Limited Chicago – Washington, D.C. (via Cleveland, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Cardinal Chicago – New York (via Indianapolis/Cincinnati/D.C.)
Carl Sandburg Chicago – Quincy
Carolinian New York – Raleigh – Greensboro – Charlotte
City of New Orleans Chicago – New Orleans
Coast Starlight Seattle – Los Angeles (via Sacramento/Oakland)
Crescent New York – New Orleans (via Atlanta)
Downeaster Portland, Maine – Boston
Empire Builder Chicago – Portland, Oregon/Seattle (via Spokane)
Empire Service New York – Niagara Falls (via Albany)
Ethan Allen Express New York – Rutland (via Albany)
Heartland Flyer Oklahoma City – Fort Worth
Hiawatha Chicago – Milwaukee
Hoosier State Chicago – Indianapolis
Illini Chicago – Carbondale
Illinois Zephyr Chicago – Quincy
Keystone Service New York – Harrisburg (via Philadelphia)
Lake Shore Limited New York – Boston – Chicago (via Albany)
Lincoln Service Chicago – St. Louis
Maple Leaf New York – Toronto
Missouri River Runner St. Louis – Kansas City
New Haven–Springfield Shuttle New Haven – Springfield
Northeast Regional Boston – New York – Washington DC – Virginia (Richmond, Newport News, or Lynchburg)
Pacific Surfliner San Luis Obispo – Los Angeles – San Diego
Palmetto New York – Savannah
Pennsylvanian New York – Pittsburgh (via Newark, Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Altoona)
Pere Marquette Grand Rapids – Chicago
Piedmont Charlotte – Raleigh
Saluki Chicago – Carbondale
San Joaquin Bakersfield – Oakland / Sacramento
Silver Meteor New York – Fayetteville – Miami
Silver Star New York – Raleigh – Tampa – Miami
Southwest Chief Chicago – Los Angeles
Sunset Limited Los Angeles – New Orleans
Texas Eagle Chicago – Los Angeles (through San Antonio and Dallas)
Vermonter Washington – St. Albans
Wolverine Chicago – Detroit – Pontiac
[edit]Motive power and rolling stock
Main article: Amtrak rolling stock
Amtrak owns 2,142 railway cars and 425 locomotives for revenue runs and service. Examples include the GE P42DC, the EMD AEM-7, the Amfleet car and the Superliner car. Occasionally private cars, or leased locomotives from affiliated companies are added to the roster.
All about Amtrak:
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