Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study

Federal Railroad Administration

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) directed the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to conduct an Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study to evaluate the restoration of daily passenger rail service along discontinued Amtrak long-distance routes, as well as any Amtrak long-distance routes that operate on a non-daily basis. The legislation also stated that FRA may evaluate potential new Amtrak long-distance routes, with specific attention provided to routes in service as of April 1971 but not continued when Amtrak began operations that year.

The Long-Distance Study Final Report selects preferred route options for restoring, enhancing, or expanding long-distance routes to daily service, creating a foundation for further planning of potential future long-distance services.

These preferred route options reflect current travel demand, as well as opportunities to: increase passenger rail access to rural areas and transportation-disadvantaged communities; increase connectivity with existing and future passenger rail services; consider the impacts of previously discontinued long-distance passenger rail service; and address significant stakeholder input. The Final Report also identifies significant challenges in implementing the preferred route options, including – but not limited to – funding and governance of Amtrak long-distance service. For further information, please see the Final Report page.

Amtrak Network Then and Now: 1971-2021 (Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics)

History

Amtrak was established by the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, which relieved private U.S. railroads of their passenger rail service obligation and created Amtrak to fulfill that role instead. In 1971, the US Department of Transportation (US DOT) designated 21 city pairs between which intercity passenger trains should operate, and Amtrak began service between those cities later that year. The new passenger rail system operated by Amtrak was about half the size (by route miles) of the pre-1971 U.S. passenger rail system, which had been operated by multiple railroads.

Although the term “long-distance” wasn’t defined in statute until 2008, several routes greater than 750 miles were added to Amtrak’s system in the 1970s, at the request of Congress. But long-distance service contracted in the following decades – especially after a 1979 US DOT report that recommended significant service reductions. By 2021, long-distance service reductions had resulted in some communities losing passenger rail transportation options, as well as the economic and social benefits of those connections.

Amtrak Network Then and Now: 1971-2021 (Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics)

Photo courtesy of Amtrak

Southwest Chief near Fishers Peak, Colorado.

Amtrak has three operating service lines: Northeast Corridor, state-supported, and long-distance. Each Amtrak route is part of a service line, and routes can have different service characteristics and funding sources. However, all routes in each service line are operated by Amtrak.

Amtrak currently operates 15 long-distance routes, ranging from approximately 760 to 2,500 miles. Long-distance routes provide service at nearly half of the train stations in the Amtrak system. Due to the length of these routes, some stations are only served at night. These routes typically operate once per day in each direction, linking and serving large and small communities across the country – although two long-distance routes (the Cardinal and Sunset Limited) only operate three times per week. Long-distance routes, despite relatively low service frequencies, form an essential backbone of the national passenger rail network across 39 states and the District of Columbia, connecting passengers to regional state-supported Amtrak routes, Amtrak Northeast Corridor routes, Amtrak Thruway bus services, and other local and regional transportation options. In fiscal year 2024, long-distance trains carried more than 4.2 million passengers.