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Summary

Amtrak Long-Distance Routes

Amtrak operates 15 long-distance passenger rail routes, which are defined in statute as Amtrak routes over 750 miles. Long-distance routes provide service at nearly half of the train stations in the Amtrak system. 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. Due to the length of these routes, some stations are only served at night.

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 shorter 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.

Long-Distance Service Study

Section 22214 of 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 intercity rail passenger service along (1) any Amtrak long-distance routes that, as of the date of enactment of IIJA, were discontinued, and (2) any Amtrak long-distance routes that, as of the date of enactment of IIJA, occur on a non-daily basis.

FRA worked on the Study from 2022 to 2024, completing the required analyses and conducting 24 regional working group meetings with stakeholders in 21 cities across the country. The Study received over 50,000 stakeholder and public comments that indicated overwhelming support for long-distance services or passenger rail in general.

Study Results

The Long-Distance Study Final Report creates a foundation for further planning of potential future long-distance services by developing or identifying: selected preferred route options for service restoration, enhancement, or expansion; a prioritized inventory of certain capital project types; estimated costs and public benefits; recommendations for methods by which Amtrak could work with local communities; and potential federal and non-federal funding sources.

The network of selected preferred route options, if implemented, could provide passenger rail access to 39 million people that don’t currently have access to passenger rail, including 7 million people in rural communities, and could serve 34 states.

Next Steps

This Study is a crucial early step in a comprehensive process to identify the actions that may be needed to enhance long-distance service. The selected preferred route options identified in this Study are conceptual – they are not final recommendations for service, and would require additional review, resources, and stakeholder collaboration to refine projects, costs, funding sources, and other key items needed for implementation.

In December 2023, FRA announced the selection of 69 corridors into the Corridor ID Program. Three long-distance routes identified in this Study were selected into the Corridor ID Program, independent of the Study: Cardinal (increasing service frequency to daily), Sunset Limited (increasing service frequency to daily), and restoration of the North Coast Hiawatha. For more information, please visit the FRA Corridor ID website at railroads.dot.gov/corridor-ID-program.

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