Amtrak’s 40th anniversary

The rail service, established in 1971 to relieve struggling freight rail services of their money-losing passenger service, has been a source of constant debate about its costs and benefits.

5 Seconds

00:00

March 4, 2010

Tinesheau Howell of Perryville, Md., and her daughters Lena, 11, and Tiggy, 9 months, held by Lena, stand at Jean S. Roberts Memorial Park in Havre de Grace, Md., as an Amtrak Acela train crosses the Susquehanna River. As the rail service celebrates its 40th anniversary, major questions loom about its future.

Ricky Carioti / The Washington Post

An Amtrak train heads through the mountains. The rail service, which has unable to survive without taxpayer funds, has had repeated operating losses, stemming in part from its 15 long-distance routes. Amtrak supporters argue that the federal subsidy it receives is no different from highways receiving money from gas taxes.

Courtesty of Amtrak

Jan. 4, 1987

Rescue workers dig through the rubble of an Amtrak passenger train that collided with three disel engines in Essex, Md. Sixteen people were killed and 175 injured in the accident, one of the worst in Amtrak's history.

Fred Kraft / The Associated Press

April 17, 1991

Amtrak attendant Karl White assists passengers from the Coast Starlight after it was halted in Oakland, Calif., by a nationwide rail strike. The Starlight was en route from Seattle to Los Angeles. Amtrak passengers boarded buses to continue their trip.

Ben Margot / The Associated Press

June 22, 1992

Commuters reach for scheduling information in New York's Penn Station during the evening rush hour. Amtrak has a $117 billion plan to build and operate trains that one day could speed between Washington and New York in 96 minutes.

Chrystyna Czajkowsky / The Associated Press

Sept. 8, 1995

Matt Gilbert, left, and Nick Moore, both from Sussex, England, start a card game in a lounge car of the Broadway Limited between Philadelphia and Paoli, Pa., during its next-to-last run. When the line began service in 1912, it was synonymous with luxury and speed between New York and Chicago; it fell victim to Amtrak budget cuts.

George Widman / The Associated Press

Oct. 9, 1995

An Amtrak Sunset Limited train lies on its side in a creek bed after derailing 55 miles southwest of Phoenix near Hyder, Ariz. One person was killed and dozens were injured. Within hours of the derailment, the FBI declared it an act of sabotage, but those responsible never were caught.

Scott Troyanos / The Associated Press

Oct. 26, 1995

The first train heads under an overpass in Lorton after wreckage was cleared following a truck accident that dumped six tons of industrial air conditioners down a 30-foot embankment and next to the tracks. The accident stopped trains for more than three hours and made more than 1,000 rail commuters late to work.

Tyler Mallory / For The Washington Post

Feb. 12, 1996

Folk singer Peter Yarrow of the group Peter, Paul and Mary sings at Philadelphia's 30th Street Station. Yarrow was on a tour of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor that included performances in New York and Washington. Yarrow also performed aboard trains in between the major cities, praising Amtrak's work during a January blizzard in 1996.

Marty Katz / The Associated Press

March 15, 1996

U.S. Transportation Secretary Federico Peña, second from right, announces a contract for new, faster trains in the Northeast Corridor, from Washington to Boston, during a news conference at Union Station in the District. Standing are, from left, Tom Downs, president of Amtrak; Peter Stengel of Bombardier Transit of Canada; Andre Navarri of GEC Alsthom of France; and Jolene Molitoris, federal railroad administrator.

/ AFP/Getty Images

March 16, 1999

Rescue workers, left, search wreckage from a derailed Amtrak passenger train after it collided with a tractor-trailer near Bourbonnais, Ill., 50 miles south of Chicago. Eleven people were killed and more than 100 injured in the collision and resulting fire.

John Zich / AFP/Getty Images

Nov. 16, 2000

Amtrak's high-speed Acela train is christened with champagne by Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson before it leaves Washington's Union Station on an inaugural run to New York and Boston.

Carol Guzy / The Washington Post

June 25, 2002

Passengers walk under the departure board as they head to a gate at the Amtrak terminal in the New York's Penn Station. Amtrak was flirting with a shutdown at the time because it was running out of cash, but it got an emergency government loan to keep operating.

Stan Honda / AFP/Getty Images

David Gunn, right, president and chief executive of Amtrak, chats with conductor Jerry Bridgeman as Gunn makes rounds at Union Station.

Bill O'Leary / The Washignton Post

July 29, 2002

Rescue workers administer aid to an injured passenger who was on Amtrak's Capitol Limited from Chicago, which derailed in Kensington, 12 miles north of its destination of Washington. Local police officials put the number of injured at 60, with no fatalities.

Paul J. Richards / AFP/Getty Images

April 18, 2002

Four people were killed when an Amtrak train carrying nearly 500 people derailed near Crescent City, Fla. The Auto Train was bound from suburban Orlando to just outside Washington. Fourteen cars overturned on the 41-car train.

Roberto Gonzalez / The Associated Press

Jan. 14, 2003

Massage therapist Linda Sae-Jang gives Sandra Black a massage onboard the Amtrak Capitol Corridor train as it passes through Richmond, Calif. Amtrak began offering massage service for $1 an hour on afternoon trains from Oakland, Calif., to Sacramento.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

June 10, 2004

National Park Service volunteer Mike Barkon holds up a stuffed prairie dog as he talks about the Lewis and Clark expedition on an Amtrak train near Washington, Mo. A partnership between Amtrak and the National Park Service placed volunteers on trains that traced the route that the expedition that took 200 years before.

Charlie Riedel / The Associated Press

Jan. 22, 2005

An Amtrak worker stands between two cars in an area partially filled with snow in Wilmington, Del., during an East Coast blizzard. Amtrak is often the last form of transportation operating in snowstorms.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

Dec. 15, 2005

Musician Arlo Guthrie, left, plays "City of New Orleans" with other musicians on Amtrak's City of New Orleans train, near Hammond, La., as it makes its way toward New Orleans. Arlo & Friends were traveling and performing along the way to benefit the small musical venues in the train's namesake city after it was devasted by Hurricane Katrina.

Jacqueline Larma / The Associated Press

July 28, 2005

Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) arrives in Washington on the Acela train from Wilmington, Del. As a senator, Biden commuted from his home in Wilmington via Amtrak.

Melina Mara / The Washington Post

Feb. 14, 2005

Amtrak employee Terry Dempsey protests with other Amtrak workers and supporters at Union Station in Chicago, where U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta was holding a news conference to promote President George W. Bush's plan for the financially strapped passenger train service.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 25, 2006

Andrew Michael, who had been waiting for hours, takes a nap as he waits for a train at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. Thousands of Amtrak passengers were starnded from Washington to New York during a power outage along the East Coast.

William Thomas Cain / Getty Images

Nov. 21, 2007

An Amtrak passenger hurries to board her train at South Station in Boston. Amtrak ridership has climbed in the past decade, with 28.7 million people riding Amtrak's 300 daily trains last year, and with ridership on pace to set another annual record this fiscal year, according to the rail service.

Darren McCollester / Getty Images

Nov. 30, 2007

Rescue workers transport injured Amtrak passengers after their train collided with a freight train in Chicago. More than 50 people were injured when the train traveling from Grand Rapids, Mich., to Chicago smashed into the back of a freight train on the city's south side.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

Aug. 31, 2008

Quentin Barganier and his fiancee, Robin Johnson, rest on the last Amtrak train to depart New Orleans en route to Memphis after a mandatory evacuation was ordered ahead of Hurricane Gustav.

Jim Watson / AFP/Getty Images

Aug. 26, 2008

The Amtrak station in Wilmington, Del. Unlike highways and aviation, which have their own dedicated funding streams, Amtrak relies on annual appropriations from Congress, leaving its federal subsidies vulnerable to politics. Questions loom about how Amtrak will pay for maintenance on its aging infrastructure.

Jim Graham

Nov. 16, 2010

Musician Keith Urban performs a surprise concerts for Amtrak commuters in New York.

Larry Busacca

Dec. 27, 2010

Travelers at Union Station in Washington trying to travel during an East Coast blizzard walk through a cloud of mist as they make it on an Amtrak train heading through New York on its way to Boston.

Matt McClain / The Washington Post

Feb. 8, 2011

A conductor drives an Amtrak train outside of Newark. Amtrak, a government-owned corporation, has joined up with New Jersey's two U.S. senators to propose a new rail link to New York City under the Hudson River. The Gateway Project would include two tunnels and increase the train traffic under the river from 62 trains per day to 92 at an estimated cost of $13.5 billion. The plan is looked at as an alternative after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) killed another rail link plan last year after he deemed it too costly.

Spencer Platt / Getty Images

May 10, 2011

Roger Rose, an electrical technician with Amtrak, follows up on an inbound inspection in the control room of an Acela train at Union Station in Washington.

Ricky Carioti / The Washington Post

May 10, 2011

Passengers disembark from an Amtrak regional train at Washington's Union Station. Amtrak's plan for "next generation" service in the Northeast Corridor recently got a major boost when the Obama administration announced the latest round of high-speed rail funding, which included $450 million for Amtrak.

Ricky Carioti / The Washington Post

May 6, 2011

An Amtrak conductor looks out the door of the Capitol Limited at the train station in Harpers Ferry, W.Va. The Capitol Limited runs daily between Washington and Chicago.

Ricky Carioti / The Washington Post

Featured Photo Galleries

Chip Ganassi Racing driver Dario Franchitti of Scotland (L) celebrates as he crosses the finish line ahead of teammate Scott Dixon of New Zealand and KV Racing Technology driver Tony Kanaan of Brazil during the Indianapolis 500 autorace at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana, May 27, 2012. REUTERS/John Sommers II(UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT MOTORSPORT)

Dario Franchitti wins the Indianapolis 500

Dario Franchitti wins his third Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 27: Christian Slayton, 12 prays to a fallen soldiers memorial as motorcycles from the Rolling Thunder event pass by in Washington, DC on May 27, 2012. Slayton, who is from Raleigh, NC ran out to the makeshift memorial to say a prayer of thanks for all the veterans living and fallen. He said he wanted to thank them for letting us be free and able to have the rights that some countries never had. Riders from across the nation come together every year to ride from the Pentagon over to the National Mall as a rememberance those POW and MIAs in the Vietnam War. (Photo by Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

Rolling Thunder descends on Washington

Motorcyclists take part in the annual parade ahead of Memorial Day.

Visitors stop to read the names on the Vietnam Memorial at sunrise on the fist day of the Memorial Day weekend in Washington Saturday, May 24, 2008. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)

Honoring the Vietnam War’s fallen

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is one of the most visited sites in the nation’s capital.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 24: Aaron Rubinstein, center, with fellow students, lights candles before the annual Mass for family members of the cadavers used in anatomy studies on May, 24, 2012 in Washington, DC. At right are Steven Kazuska and Meghan Kuska. (Photo by Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

Students express gratitude for cadavers

Georgetown University students thank the families who allowed the use of cadavers for study.

Cambodian Grilled Corn is basted with a mix of coconut milk and sugar, then grilled until caramelized. Recipe by grilling expert Steven Raichlen, for a Chef on Call lesson. (Michael Temchine for The Washington Post) Freelance Photo imported to Merlin on Fri May 16 15:10:05 2008

Memorial Day recipes

Here are some favorite burgers, entrees and desserts from our Recipe Finder database.

FAIRFAX, VA - MAY 23: US Army Veteran Sandra Strickland embraces her daughter, Heaven, 8, after dinner Wednesday May 23, 2012 in Fairfax, VA. After losing her job, custody of her children and being evicted from her apartment, Strickland moved into a home for homeless female veterans provided by Final Salute, Inc. (Photo by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

Fairfax shelter becomes a lifeline for homeless female veterans

A former Army captain opened the shelter with last fall.

Speaker of the Ukrainian parliament Volodymyr Litvin (Bottom) looks on as deputies of the Ukrainian opposition fight with deputies of the pro-presidential majority during a session of parliament in Kiev, as opposition parties protest a bill proposed by the ruling party which would make Russian an official state language along with Ukrainian. AFP PHOTO/STRINGERSTR/AFP/GettyImages

Ukrainian parliament fight, SpaceX cargo craft, Mars rover Opportunity and more in the day in photos

Ukrainian parliament fight, SpaceX cargo craft, Mars rover Opportunity and more.

Red Panda Bears sleep in the Panda Bear enclosure at the Beijing Zoo on May 22, 2012. The zoo grounds were originally a Ming Dynasty imperial palace and finally opened to the public in 1908. The zoo's history states that during the WWII, most of the zoo's animals died of starvation with only 13 monkeys and one old emu surviving the war. AFP PHOTO/Mark RALSTONMARK RALSTON/AFP/GettyImages

Barn owls, pit bulls, red pandas, cheetah cubs and more in animal views

Barn owls, pit bulls, red pandas, cheetah cubs and more.

Back to Previous Gallery

Discussion Policy | FAQ | About Discussions

Comments

Add your comment

Read what others are saying About Badges

SuperFan Badge

SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.

More about badges | Request a badge

Culture Connoisseur Badge

Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.

More about badges | Request a badge

Fact Checker Badge

Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.

More about badges | Request a badge

Washingtologist Badge

Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Writer Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.

Post Forum Badge

Post Forum members consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Weather Watcher Badge

Weather Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on climates and forecasts.

More about badges | Request a badge

World Watcher Badge

World Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Contributor Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Recommended

Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.

You must be logged in to report a comment.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

All comments are posted in the All Comments tab.

More about badges

Get a badge

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.

Business

Amtrak’s 40th anniversary

The rail service, established in 1971 to relieve struggling freight rail services of their money-losing passenger service, has been a source of constant debate about its costs and benefits.

Featured Photo Galleries