Editing Amtrak (section)

==History==
===Private passenger service===
[[File:The Congressional Pennsylvania Railroad.JPG|thumb|left|The [[Pennsylvania Railroad]]'s ''Congressional'' in the 1960s]]

In 1916, 98% of all commercial intercity travelers in the United States moved by rail, and the remaining 2% moved by [[Inland waterways of the United States|inland waterways]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Historical Statistics of the United States|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/1960/compendia/hist_stats_colonial-1957/hist_stats_colonial-1957-chQ.pdf|access-date=November 13, 2017|website=U.S. Census|date=1957|archive-date=February 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218120745/http://www2.census.gov/library/publications/1960/compendia/hist_stats_colonial-1957/hist_stats_colonial-1957-chQ.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Nearly 42&nbsp;million passengers used railways as primary transportation.<ref name="Stover-1997-219" /> Passenger trains were owned and operated by the same privately owned companies that operated freight trains.<ref>{{Harvnb|Carper|1968|pp=112–113}}</ref> As the 20th century progressed, patronage declined in the face of competition from [[bus]]es, [[air travel]], and the [[car]]. New [[streamliner|streamlined]] diesel-powered trains such as the ''[[Pioneer Zephyr]]'' were popular with the traveling public but could not reverse the trend.<ref>{{Harvnb|Solomon|2004|pp=49–56}}</ref> By 1940, railroads held 67 percent of commercial passenger-miles in the United States. In real terms, passenger-miles had fallen by 40% since 1916, from 42&nbsp;billion to 25&nbsp;billion.<ref name="Stover-1997-219" />

Traffic surged during [[World War II]], which was aided by troop movement and [[Rationing in the United States|gasoline rationing]]. The railroad's market share surged to 74% in 1945, with a massive 94&nbsp;billion passenger-miles.<ref>{{Harvnb|Stover|1997|pp=219–220}}</ref> After the war, railroads rejuvenated their overworked and neglected passenger fleets with fast and luxurious streamliners.<ref>{{Harvnb|Solomon|2004|p=154}}</ref> These new trains brought only temporary relief to the overall decline.<ref>{{Harvnb|Solomon|2004|p=161}}</ref> Even as postwar travel exploded, passenger travel percentages of the overall market share fell to 46% by 1950, and then 32% by 1957.<ref name="Stover-1997-219" /> The railroads had lost money on passenger service since the [[Great Depression]], but deficits reached $723&nbsp;million in 1957. For many railroads, these losses threatened financial viability.<ref>{{Harvnb|Stover|1997|p=220}}</ref>

The causes of this decline were heavily debated. The [[National Highway System (United States)|National Highway System]] and [[airport]]s, both funded by the government, competed directly with the railroads, which, unlike the airline, bus, and trucking companies, paid for their own infrastructure.<ref>{{Harvnb|Saunders|2001|pp=106–107}}</ref> [[1950s American automobile culture|American car culture]] was also on the rise in the post–World War II years. [[Progressive Era]] rate regulation limited the railroads' ability to turn a profit.<ref>{{Harvnb|Saunders|2001|pp=32–33}}</ref> Railroads also faced antiquated work rules and inflexible relationships with trade unions. To take one example, workers continued to receive a day's pay for {{convert|100|to|150|mile|adj=on}} workdays. Streamliners covered that in two hours.<ref>{{Harvnb|Stover|1997|p=222}}</ref>

Matters approached a crisis in the 1960s. Passenger service route-miles fell from {{convert|107000|mi}} in 1958 to {{convert|49000|mi}} in 1970, the last full year of private operation.<ref>{{Harvnb|Stover|1997|p=228}}</ref> The diversion of most [[United States Post Office Department]] mail from passenger trains to trucks, airplanes, and freight trains in late 1967 deprived those trains of badly needed revenue.<ref>{{Harvnb|McCommons|2009|pp=150–151}}</ref> In direct response, the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]] filed to discontinue 33 of its remaining 39 trains, ending almost all passenger service on one of the largest railroads in the country.<ref>{{Harvnb|Glischinski|1997|p=96}}</ref> The equipment the railroads had ordered after World War II was now 20 years old, worn out, and in need of replacement.<ref>{{Harvnb|Saunders|2003|p=55}}</ref>

===Formation===
{{see also|List of railroads eligible to participate in the formation of Amtrak}}
[[File:PCPOST_19710601_Amtrak.png|right|thumb|[[Penn Central Transportation Company|Penn Central Railroad]]'s employee publication announcing the inauguration of Amtrak on May 1, 1971. Penn Central Amtrak routes are listed.]]
As passenger service declined, various proposals were brought forward to rescue it. The 1961 Doyle Report proposed that the private railroads pool their services into a single body.<ref>{{Harvnb|Saunders|2001|p=124}}</ref> Similar proposals were made in 1965 and 1968 but failed to attract support. The federal government passed the [[High Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965]] to fund pilot programs in the [[Northeast Corridor]], but this did nothing to address passenger deficits. In late 1969, multiple proposals emerged in the [[United States Congress]], including equipment subsidies, route subsidies, and, lastly, a "quasi-public corporation" to take over the operation of intercity passenger trains. Matters were brought to a head on June 21, 1970, when the [[Penn Central Transportation Company|Penn Central]], the largest railroad in the [[Northeastern United States]] and teetering on bankruptcy, filed to discontinue 34 of its passenger trains.<ref>{{Harvnb|Sanders|2006|pp=1–3}}</ref>

In October 1970, Congress passed, and President [[Richard Nixon]] signed into law (against the objections of most of his advisors),<ref name="enoamtrak50-1">{{cite web |last1=David |first1=Jeff |title=Amtrak at 50: The Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970 |url=https://enotrans.org/article/amtrak-at-50-the-rail-passenger-service-act-of-1970/ |publisher=Eno Center for Transportation |access-date=May 19, 2024}}</ref> the Rail Passenger Service Act.<ref>{{USStatute|91|518|84|1327|1970|October|30|HR|17849}}</ref> Proponents of the bill, led by the [[National Association of Railroad Passengers]] (NARP), sought government funding to ensure the continuation of passenger trains. They conceived the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (NRPC), a [[Quasi-corporation|quasi-public corporation]] that would be managed as a [[for-profit corporation|for-profit organization]], but which would receive taxpayer funding and assume operation of intercity passenger trains<ref name="FY18 profile" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Thoms|1973|pp=38–39}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Land |first=John S. |date=October 17, 1971 |title=Amtrak isn't railroading improvements through to passengers |page=8A |work=Eugene Register-Guard |agency=Associated Press |location=(Oregon) |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=B6FWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6761%2C3461756 |url-status=live |access-date=May 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510054858/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=B6FWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6761%2C3461756 |archive-date=May 10, 2021}}</ref> – while many involved in drafting the bill did not believe the NRPC would actually be profitable, this was necessary in order for the White House and more conservative members of Congress to support the bill.<ref name="enoamtrak50-1" />

There were several key provisions:<ref>{{Harvnb|Thoms|1973|pp=39–42}}</ref>
* Any railroad operating intercity passenger service could contract with the NRPC, thereby joining the national system.
* The United States federal government, through the [[United States Secretary of Transportation|Secretary of Transportation]], would own all of the NRPC's [[Issued shares|issued]] and [[Shares outstanding|outstanding]] [[preferred stock]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Management discussion Fiscal 2019 |url=https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/corporate/financial/Amtrak-Management-Discussion-Analysis-Audited-Financial-Statements-FY19.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625182014/https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/corporate/financial/Amtrak-Management-Discussion-Analysis-Audited-Financial-Statements-FY19.pdf |archive-date=June 25, 2020 |access-date=June 23, 2020}}</ref> 
* Participating railroads bought into the NRPC using a formula based on their recent intercity passenger losses. The purchase price could be satisfied either by cash or rolling stock; in exchange, the railroads received NRPC [[common stock]].
* Any participating railroad was freed of the obligation to operate intercity passenger service after May 1, 1971, except for those services chosen by the [[United States Department of Transportation|Department of Transportation]] (DOT) as part of a "basic system" of service and paid for by NRPC using its federal funds.
* Railroads that chose not to join the NRPC system were required to continue operating their existing passenger service until 1975, at which time they could pursue the customary [[Interstate Commerce Commission]] (ICC) approval process for any discontinuance or alteration to the service.

Of the 26 railroads still offering intercity passenger service in 1970, only six declined to join the NRPC.<ref>{{Harvnb|Sanders|2006|pp=7–8}}</ref>

Nearly everyone involved expected the experiment to be short-lived. The Nixon administration and many Washington insiders viewed the NRPC as a politically expedient way for the President and Congress to give passenger trains a "last hurrah" as demanded by the public. They expected the NRPC to quietly disappear as public interest waned.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Luberoff|first=David|title=Amtrak and the States|journal=Governing Magazine|page=85|date=November 1996}}</ref> After ''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]'' magazine exposed the manufactured mismanagement in 1974, [[Louis W. Menk]], chairman of the [[Burlington Northern Railroad]], remarked that the story was undermining the scheme to dismantle Amtrak.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Trains|date=March 2009|title=Trains formula for fixing Amtrak|first=Rush Jr. |last=Loving}}</ref> Proponents also hoped that government intervention would be brief and that Amtrak would soon be able to support itself. Neither view had proved to be correct; popular support allowed Amtrak to continue in operation longer than critics imagined, while financial results made passenger train service returning to private railroad operations infeasible.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Casey|first=Robert J.|date=January 5, 1978|title=Federal Money, Priorities and the Railroads|work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gJxRAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA5|access-date=October 2, 2021|archive-date=October 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002163944/https://books.google.com/books?id=gJxRAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA5|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Forrester|first=Steve|date=June 1, 1984|title=Amtrak funding no longer a battle|work=[[Eugene Register-Guard]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8uhVAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA8|access-date=October 2, 2021|archive-date=October 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002163948/https://books.google.com/books?id=8uhVAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA8|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Selection of initial routes===
[[File:Amtrak logo (1971–2000).svg|thumb|"Headless Arrow" Amtrak Logo used from 1971 to 2000]]
The Rail Passenger Service Act gave the Secretary of Transportation, at that time [[John A. Volpe]], thirty days to produce an initial draft of the endpoints of the routes the NRPC would be required by law to serve for four years. On November 24 Volpe presented his initial draft consisting of 27 routes to Nixon, which he believed would make a $24 million profit by 1975. The [[Office of Management and Budget]], however, believed Volpe and the DOT's analysis was far too optimistic, with director [[George Shultz]] arguing to cut the number of routes by around half. Nixon agreed with Shultz, and the public draft presented by Volpe on November 30 consisted of only 16 routes.<ref name="enoamtrak50-2">{{cite web |last1=David |first1=Jeff |title=Amtrak at 50: Defining the "Basic System" of Service Routes |url=https://enotrans.org/article/amtrak-at-50-defining-the-basic-system-of-service-routes/ |publisher=Eno Center for Transportation |access-date=May 19, 2024}}</ref>

The initial reaction to this heavily-cut-back proposed system from the public, the press, and congressmen was strongly negative. It made front-page headlines across the country and it was quickly leaked that the DOT had wanted a far larger system than the White House would approve of. The ICC produced its own report on December 29, criticising the proposed draft and arguing for the inclusion of 15 additional routes, giving further ammunition to the congressmen who wanted an expanded system. Further wrangling between the DOT and the White House produced the final list of routes on January 28, 1971, adding 5 additional routes to the November 30 draft.<ref name="enoamtrak50-2" />

These required routes only had their endpoints specified; the selection of the actual routes to be taken between the endpoints was left to the NRPC, which had just three months to decide them before it was due to start service. Consultants from [[McKinsey & Company]] were hired to perform this task, and their results were publicly announced on March 22.<ref name="enoamtrak50-3">{{cite web |last1=David |first1=Jeff |title=Amtrak at 50: How McKinsey Designed A National Railroad |url=https://enotrans.org/article/amtrak-at-50-how-mckinsey-designed-a-national-railroad/ |publisher=Eno Center for Transportation |access-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519161623/https://enotrans.org/article/amtrak-at-50-how-mckinsey-designed-a-national-railroad/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

At the same time, the NRPC had hired [[Lippincott (brand consultancy)|Lippincott & Margulies]] to create a brand for it and replace its original working [[brand name]] of Railpax. On March 30, L&M's work was presented to the NRPC's board of incorporators, who unanimously agreed on the "headless arrow" logo and on the new brand name "Amtrak", a [[portmanteau]] of the words ''America'' and ''trak'', the latter itself a [[sensational spelling]] of ''track''.<ref name="enoamtrak50-3" /> The name change was publicly announced less than two weeks before operations began.<ref name="FY18 profile" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=April 20, 1971 |title=Railpax, er, AMTRAK Eyes Loss |page=21 |work=Fort Worth Star-Telegram |agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=April 20, 1971 |title=Delay Asked In Rail Plan |page=1 |work=Fort Worth Star-Telegram |agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Thoms|1973|p=51}}</ref>

{{anchor|Rainbow Era}}

===1970s: The Rainbow Era===
[[File:BN_9762_in_Yakima_Aug_71_NthCstHiRP.jpg|right|thumb|The ''[[North Coast Hiawatha]]'' near [[Yakima, Washington]], in July 1971, an example of early Amtrak "rainbow" [[consist]]s, made up of equipment still painted in the colors of various railroads]]
Amtrak began operations on May 1, 1971.<ref name="winner" /><ref name="last court test" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Stover|1997|p=234}}</ref> Amtrak received no [[rail tracks]] or [[Right-of-way (transportation)|rights-of-way]] at its inception. All of Amtrak's routes were continuations of prior service, although Amtrak pruned about half the passenger rail network.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_rteAAAAIBAJ&pg=2851%2C10220 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=Idaho |agency=Associated Press |last=Cook |first=Louise |title=Many famous trains roll into history |date=May 1, 1971 |page=1 |access-date=May 20, 2020 |archive-date=May 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509213404/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_rteAAAAIBAJ&pg=2851%2C10220 |url-status=live}}</ref> Of the 366 train routes that operated previously, Amtrak continued only 184.<ref>{{Harvnb|Sanders|2006|pp=5–6}}</ref> Several major corridors became freight-only, including the ex-[[New York Central Railroad]]'s [[Water Level Route]] from New York to Ohio and [[Grand Trunk Western Railroad]]'s Chicago to Detroit route. The reduced passenger train schedules created confusion amongst staff. At some stations, Amtrak service was available only late at night or early in the morning, prompting complaints from passengers.<ref>{{Cite news|date=April 28, 1976|title=Daylight hours asked for local train|work=[[Williamson Daily News]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KJlDAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1|access-date=October 2, 2021|archive-date=October 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002165557/https://books.google.com/books?id=KJlDAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1|url-status=live}}</ref> Disputes with freight railroads over track usage caused some services to be rerouted, temporarily cancelled, or replaced with buses.<ref>{{Cite news|date=August 2, 1974|title=Temporarily Halt Rail Service To Repair Penn-Central Tracks|work=[[Times-Union (Warsaw)|Times-Union]]|location=[[Warsaw, Indiana]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AoNHAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA3|access-date=October 2, 2021|archive-date=October 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002165555/https://books.google.com/books?id=AoNHAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA3|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|agency=Associated Press|date=July 14, 1978|title=Hoosiers fighting over rails|work=The Rochester Sentinel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gS1jAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1|access-date=October 2, 2021|archive-date=October 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002165555/https://books.google.com/books?id=gS1jAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1|url-status=live}}</ref> On the other hand, the creation of the Los Angeles–Seattle ''[[Coast Starlight]]'' from three formerly separate train routes was an immediate success, resulting in an increase to daily service by 1973.<ref>{{cite news |last=Barr |first=Robert A. |date=March 18, 1973 |title=Amtrak's coastal train may run daily in June |page=D12 |work=[[The Seattle Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Barr |first=Robert A. |date=June 14, 1972 |title=Riders filling Amtrak's Seattle-San Diego trains |page=H4 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref>

Needing to operate only half the train routes that had operated previously, Amtrak would lease around 1,200 of the best passenger cars from the 3,000 that the private railroads owned. All were air-conditioned, and 90% were easy-to-maintain stainless steel.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://history.amtrak.com/archives/weve-rejected-2-out-of-every-3-cars-advertisement-1971 |title="We've Rejected 2 Out Of Every 3 Cars" advertisement, 1971 |date=June 11, 2013 |website=Amtrak |access-date=April 21, 2018 |archive-date=September 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180910014704/https://history.amtrak.com/archives/weve-rejected-2-out-of-every-3-cars-advertisement-1971 |url-status=live}}</ref> When Amtrak took over, passenger cars and locomotives initially retained the paint schemes and logos of their former owners which resulted in Amtrak running trains with mismatched colors – the "Rainbow Era".<ref>{{cite news |date=September 27, 2017 |title=Amtrak interiors through the years |url=https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/travel/2017/09/27/amtrak-interiors-through-the-years/106053536/ |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |access-date=March 21, 2018 |archive-date=March 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322081956/https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/travel/2017/09/27/amtrak-interiors-through-the-years/106053536/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In mid-1971, Amtrak began purchasing some of the equipment it had leased, including 286 [[Electro-Motive Division|EMD]] E and F unit diesel locomotives, 30 [[PRR GG1|GG1]] electric locomotives and 1,290 passenger cars. By 1975, the official Amtrak color scheme was painted on most Amtrak equipment and newly purchased locomotives and the rolling stock began appearing.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://ctr.trains.com/railroad-reference/operations/2001/06/amtraks-beginnings |first=John |last=Kelly |title=Amtrak's beginnings |journal=Classic Trains Magazine |date=June 5, 2001 |access-date=December 29, 2010 |archive-date=October 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015103725/http://ctr.trains.com/railroad-reference/operations/2001/06/amtraks-beginnings |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Amtrak pointless arrow logo at Oakland–Jack London Square station, September 2015.jpg|thumb|left|Classic Amtrak logo displayed at the [[Oakland – Jack London Square station]], California]]

Amtrak inherited problems with train stations (most notably [[deferred maintenance]]) and redundant facilities from the competing railroads that once served the same communities. Chicago is a prime example; on the day prior to Amtrak's inception, intercity passenger trains used four different Chicago terminals: [[LaSalle Street Station|LaSalle]], [[Dearborn Station|Dearborn]], [[Ogilvie Transportation Center|North Western Station]], [[Central Station (Chicago terminal)|Central]], and Union. The trains at LaSalle remained there, as their operator [[Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad|Rock Island]] could not afford to opt into Amtrak. Of all the trains serving Dearborn Station, Amtrak retained only a pair of Santa Fe trains, which relocated to [[Chicago Union Station|Union Station]] beginning with the first Amtrak departures on May 1, 1971. Dearborn Station closed after the last pre-Amtrak trains on the Santa Fe arrived in Chicago on May 2. None of the intercity trains that had served North Western Station became part of the Amtrak system, and that terminal became commuter-only after May 1. The trains serving Central Station continued to use that station until an alternate routing was adopted in March 1972. In [[New York City]], Amtrak had to maintain two stations ([[Pennsylvania Station (New York City)|Penn]] and [[Grand Central Terminal|Grand Central]]) due to the lack of track connections to bring trains from upstate New York into Penn Station; a problem that was rectified once the [[Empire Connection]] was built in 1991.<ref>{{cite web |title=Digging into the Archives: The West Side Connection |url=https://history.amtrak.com/blogs/blog/making-connections |website=Amtrak History |publisher=Amtrak |date=April 3, 2013 |access-date=June 25, 2018 |archive-date=June 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625214006/https://history.amtrak.com/blogs/blog/making-connections |url-status=live}}</ref> The Amtrak Standard Stations Program was launched in 1978 and proposed to build a standardized station design across the system with an aim to reduce costs, speed construction, and improve its corporate image.<ref name="amtrakhistory">"{{cite web |date=March 4, 2013 |title=The Amtrak Standard Stations Program |url=https://history.amtrak.com/blogs/blog/creating-a-visual-identity-the-amtrak-standard-stations-program |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130321014720/http://history.amtrak.com/blogs/blog/creating-a-visual-identity-the-amtrak-standard-stations-program |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 21, 2013 |access-date=July 27, 2019 |publisher=Amtrak }}</ref><ref name="executivesummary">{{cite book |title=Standard Stations Program Executive Summary |date=1978 |publisher=National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Office of the Chief Engineer)}}</ref> However, the cash-strapped railroad would ultimately build relatively few of these standard stations.<ref name="heartland2">{{harvnb|Sanders|2006|p=270}}</ref>

[[File:Amtrak 621 with the San Francisco Zephyr over the Truckee River in Verdi, Nevada, February 1975.jpg|thumb|right|An Amtrak [[EMD SDP40F]] with the ''[[San Francisco Zephyr]]'' in 1975. By the mid-1970s, Amtrak equipment was acquiring its own identity.]]

Amtrak soon had the opportunity to acquire rights-of-way. Following the bankruptcy of several northeastern railroads in the early 1970s, including Penn Central, which owned and operated the Northeast Corridor (NEC), Congress passed the [[Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act]] of 1976.<ref>[[Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act]], {{USPL|94|210}}, {{USStat|90|31}}, {{USC|45|801}}. February 5, 1976.</ref> A large part of the legislation was directed to the creation of [[Conrail]], but the law also enabled the transfer of the portions of the NEC not already owned by state authorities to Amtrak. Amtrak acquired the majority of the NEC on April 1, 1976.<ref>{{cite web |website=U.S. Federal Railroad Administration |url=http://www.fra.dot.gov/rpd/passenger/643.shtml |title=Northeast Corridor Main Line |access-date=November 15, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202082510/http://www.fra.dot.gov/rpd/passenger/643.shtml |archive-date=December 2, 2011}}</ref> (The portion in Massachusetts is owned by the Commonwealth and managed by Amtrak. The route from New Haven to New Rochelle is owned by New York's [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] and the [[Connecticut Department of Transportation]] as the [[New Haven Line]].)<ref>{{cite web|last=Frisman|first=Paul|date=November 13, 2014|title=Questions About Metro North Railroad And Commuter Rail|url=https://www.cga.ct.gov/2014/rpt/pdf/2014-R-0204.pdf|url-status=live|website=Connecticut General Assembly - Office of Legislative Research|access-date=August 18, 2021|archive-date=August 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818022707/https://www.cga.ct.gov/2014/rpt/pdf/2014-R-0204.pdf}}</ref> This mainline became Amtrak's "jewel" asset, and helped the railroad generate revenue. While the NEC ridership and revenues were higher than any other segment of the system, the cost of operating and maintaining the corridor proved to be overwhelming. As a result, Amtrak's federal subsidy was increased dramatically. In subsequent years, other short route segments not needed for freight operations were transferred to Amtrak.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}

In its first decade, Amtrak fell far short of financial independence, which continues today, but it did find modest success rebuilding trade. Outside factors discouraged competing transport, such as fuel shortages which increased costs of automobile and airline travel, and strikes which disrupted airline operations. Investments in Amtrak's track, equipment and information also made Amtrak more relevant to America's transportation needs.<ref>{{cite news |first=William H. |last=Jones |title=Americans Rediscover The Train; Trains are rediscovered |newspaper=Washington Post |page=D8 |date=May 12, 1979}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=John |last=Yemma |title=Years Later, Amtrak is Keeping Riders Won in Gas Pinch |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/1980/0721/072139.html |work=Christian Science Monitor |page=4 |date=July 21, 1980 |access-date=June 12, 2008 |archive-date=September 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903044628/http://www.csmonitor.com/1980/0721/072139.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Amtrak's ridership increased from 16.6&nbsp;million in 1972 to 21&nbsp;million in 1981.<ref name="NiceD" />

In February 1978, Amtrak moved its headquarters to 400 North Capitol Street NW, Washington D.C.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://history.amtrak.com/archives/amtraks-first-headquarters |title=The second Amtrak corporate headquarters. — Amtrak: History of America's Railroad |publisher=History.amtrak.com |date=April 13, 2011 |access-date=June 27, 2022 |archive-date=October 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003145835/https://history.amtrak.com/archives/amtraks-first-headquarters |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===1980s and 1990s: The Building Era===
{{Stack|
[[File:Amtrak 943 with a Metroliner at Seabrook, MD, November 12, 1987.jpg|thumb|right|An [[EMD AEM-7]] with a ''[[Metroliner (train)|Metroliner]]'' in [[Seabrook, Maryland]] in 1987. The AEM-7 was Amtrak's workhorse on electrified routes for over 30 years.]]
[[File:AMTK 315 Tun17 CZ Nwcstle Mar1995RP - Flickr - drewj1946.jpg|thumb|right|An [[EMD F40PH]] leads the ''[[California Zephyr]]'' in 1995. The F40PH replaced the unreliable SDP40F.]]
}}
In 1982, former [[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]] and retired [[Southern Railway (U.S.)|Southern Railway]] head [[W. Graham Claytor, Jr.|William Graham Claytor Jr.]] came out of retirement to lead Amtrak. During his time at Southern, Claytor was a vocal critic of Amtrak's prior managers, who all came from non-railroading backgrounds. Transportation Secretary [[Drew Lewis]] cited this criticism as a reason why the Democrat Claytor was acceptable to the Reagan White House.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wilner|1994}}</ref>{{Rp|page=7}} Despite frequent clashes with the Reagan administration over funding, Claytor enjoyed a good relationship with Lewis, [[John H. Riley]], the head of the [[Federal Railroad Administration]] (FRA), and with members of Congress. Limited funding led Claytor to use [[money market|short-term debt]] to fund operations.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://static.highbeam.com/f/fortune/october231989/stillchuggingwgrahamclaytorjrfortunepeoplecolumn/ |title=Still chugging |first=Mark |last=Alpert |date=October 23, 1989 |magazine=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]] |access-date=November 23, 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050422084946/http://static.highbeam.com/f/fortune/october231989/stillchuggingwgrahamclaytorjrfortunepeoplecolumn/ |archive-date=April 22, 2005}}</ref>

Building on mechanical developments in the 1970s, high-speed Washington–New York [[Metroliner (train)|Metroliner Service]] was improved with new equipment and faster schedules. Travel time between New York and Washington, D.C. was reduced to under 3 hours due to system improvements and limited stop service.<ref name=":2" /> This improvement was cited as a reason why Amtrak grew its share of intercity trips between the cities along the corridor. Elsewhere in the country, demand for passenger rail service resulted in the creation of five new state-supported routes in California, Illinois, Missouri, Oregon and Pennsylvania, for a total of 15 state-supported routes.

Amtrak added two trains in 1983, the ''[[California Zephyr]]'' between [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] and Chicago via Denver<ref name=":2" /> and revived the ''[[Auto Train]]'', a unique service that carries both passengers and their vehicles. Amtrak advertised it as a great way to avoid traffic along the [[Interstate 95|I-95]] running between [[Lorton, Virginia]] (near Washington, D.C.) and [[Sanford, Florida]] (near Orlando) on the [[Silver Star (Amtrak train)|Silver Star]] alignment.<ref name=":2" />

In 1980s and 1990s, stations in Baltimore, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. received major rehabilitation and the Empire Connection tunnel opened in 1991, allowing Amtrak to consolidate all New York services at [[Pennsylvania Station (New York City)|Penn Station.]] Despite the improvements, Amtrak's ridership stagnated at roughly 20 million passengers per year, amid uncertain government aid from 1981 to about 2000.<ref name="NiceD" /><ref>{{cite book|title=1999 Annual Report |publisher=Amtrak}}</ref>

In the early 1990s, Amtrak tested several different high-speed trains from Europe on the Northeast Corridor. An [[X 2000#Exports|X 2000 train was leased]] from Sweden for test runs from October 1992 to January 1993, followed by revenue service between Washington, D.C. and New York City from February to May and August to September 1993. [[Siemens]] showed the [[ICE 1]] train from Germany, organizing the [[ICE 1#ICE train North America tour|ICE Train North America Tour]] which started to operate on the Northeast Corridor on July 3, 1993.<ref>{{Cite journal |year=1993 |title=ICE Train North America Tour |journal=Eisenbahntechnische Rundschau |language=de |volume=42 |issue=11 |page=756}}</ref>

In 1993, Thomas Downs succeeded Claytor as Amtrak's fifth president. The stated goal remained "operational self-sufficiency". By this time, however, Amtrak had a large overhang of debt from years of underfunding. In the mid-1990s, Amtrak suffered through a serious cash crunch. Under Downs, Congress included a provision in the [[Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997]] that resulted in Amtrak receiving a $2.3&nbsp;billion tax refund that resolved their cash crisis.<ref>{{cite news |title=Amtrak Is Way Off Track Fiscally, Its President and the GAO Say |first=Don |last=Phillips |date=March 18, 1994 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> However, Congress also instituted a "glide path" to financial self-sufficiency, excluding railroad retirement tax act payments.<ref>{{cite speech |title=Intercity Passenger Rail; Amtrak Faces Challenges in Improving its Financial Condition (Report GAO/T-RCED-00-30) |first=Phyllis F. |last=Scheinberg |date=October 28, 1999 |location=House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Ground Transportation |url=http://www.gao.gov/archive/2000/rc00030t.pdf |format=PDF |access-date=June 12, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624184942/http://www.gao.gov/archive/2000/rc00030t.pdf |archive-date=June 24, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[George Warrington]] became the sixth president in 1998, with a mandate to make Amtrak financially self-sufficient. Under Warrington, the company tried to expand into express freight shipping, placing Amtrak in competition with the "host" freight railroads and the [[Trucking industry in the United States|trucking industry]].

On March 9, 1999, Amtrak unveiled its plan for the ''Acela Express,'' a high-speed train on the [[Northeast Corridor]] between Washington, D.C. and Boston.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 10, 1999 |title=Amtrak unveils high-speed shuttle trains for busy travelers – Service between Boston, Washington is designed to compete with airlines |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-6680582.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026120641/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-6680582.html |archive-date=October 26, 2012 |access-date=August 29, 2009 |website=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel}}</ref><ref name="overview2">{{Cite news |date=March 9, 1999 |title=Amtrak To Unveil High-Speed Service |agency=Associated Press |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-23407520.html |url-status=dead |access-date=August 29, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026120633/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-23407520.html |archive-date=October 26, 2012}}</ref> Several changes were made to the corridor to make it suitable for higher-speed electric trains. The [[Amtrak's 60 Hz traction power system|Northend Electrification Project]] extended existing electrification from [[New Haven, Connecticut]], to Boston to complete the [[Railway electrification system|overhead power supply]] along the {{convert|454|mi|adj=on}} route, and several grade crossings were improved or removed.<ref name="overview2" /><ref>{{cite magazine |date=June 1, 1999 |title=At-grade crossings: Innovation, safety, sophisticated new technology |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-31928865_ITM |magazine=Railway Track and Structures |access-date=August 29, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Public Archaeology Laboratory |url=http://www.palinc.com/sites/default/files/publications/Amtrak_History.pdf |title=Amtrak's High Speed Rail Program, New Haven to Boston: History and Historic Resources |publisher=National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) |year=2001 |access-date=January 23, 2023 |archive-date=October 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005033406/https://www.palinc.com/sites/default/files/publications/Amtrak_History.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{clear}}

===2000s: Growth in the 21st century===
[[File:The_Sunday_Morning_Cardinal.jpg|right|thumb|[[GE Genesis]] diesel locomotives lead the ''[[Cardinal (train)|Cardinal]]'' in 2006. In the 21st century, Amtrak replaced the F40PH with the Genesis series]]
Ridership increased during the first decade of the 21st century after the implementation of capital improvements in the NEC and rises in automobile fuel costs. The inauguration of the [[high-speed rail|high-speed]] ''[[Acela]]'' in late 2000 generated considerable publicity and led to major ridership gains. However, through the late 1990s and very early 21st century, Amtrak could not add sufficient express freight revenue or cut sufficient other expenditures to break even. By 2002, it was clear that Amtrak could not achieve self-sufficiency, but Congress continued to authorize funding and released Amtrak from the requirement.<ref>{{cite news |first=Alan |last=Wirzbicki |title=Senate votes to increase funding for Amtrak service |url=https://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/10/31/senate_votes_to_increase_funding_for_amtrak_service?mode=PF |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=October 31, 2007 |access-date=June 12, 2008 |archive-date=September 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923101330/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/10/31/senate_votes_to_increase_funding_for_amtrak_service?mode=PF |url-status=dead}}</ref> In early 2002, [[David L. Gunn]] replaced Warrington as seventh president. In a departure from his predecessors' promises to make Amtrak self-sufficient in the short term, Gunn argued that no form of passenger transportation in the United States is self-sufficient as the economy is currently structured.<ref>{{cite speech|title=Testimony of David Gunn Before Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Related Agencies |first=David L. |last=Gunn |date=June 20, 2002 |location=Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Related Agencies |url=http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/Simple_Copy_Page&cid=1081442674364&c=am2Copy&ssid=172 |access-date=June 12, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120627100644/https://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak%2Fam2Copy%2FSimple_Copy_Page&cid=1081442674364&c=am2Copy&ssid=172 |archive-date=June 27, 2012}}</ref> Highways, airports, and air traffic control ''all'' require large government expenditures to build and operate, coming from the [[Highway Trust Fund]] and [[Airport and Airway Trust Fund|Aviation Trust Fund]] paid for by user fees, highway fuel and road taxes, and, in the case of the General Fund, from general taxation.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jason |last=Szep |title=Q&A with Amtrak President Alex Kummant |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/inDepthNews/idUSSIB27628520080612?sp=true |work=Reuters |date=June 12, 2008 |access-date=June 14, 2008 |archive-date=January 11, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111164033/http://www.reuters.com/article/inDepthNews/idUSSIB27628520080612?sp=true |url-status=live}}</ref> Gunn dropped most freight express business and worked to eliminate deferred maintenance.<ref>{{cite journal |date=Spring–Summer 2005 |title=Amtrak President David Gunn Lectures at UIUC |journal=CEE Alumni Association Newsletter, Online Edition |publisher=CEE Alumni Association |location=University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |url=http://cee.uiuc.edu/alumni/newsletter/p08_krambles.aspx |access-date=June 12, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825052747/http://cee.uiuc.edu/alumni/newsletter/p08_krambles.aspx |archive-date=August 25, 2007}}</ref>
[[File:Amtrakcropped.jpg|alt=GE Genesis diesel pulls the California Zephyr Train in front of the Rocky Mountains|thumb|Two GE Genesis diesels lead the ''California Zephyr'' in front of the Rocky Mountains]]
A plan by the Bush administration "to privatize parts of the national passenger rail system and spin off other parts to partial state ownership" provoked disagreement within Amtrak's board of directors. Late in 2005, Gunn was fired.<ref>{{cite news |title=Amtrak's President Is Fired by Its Board |first=Matthew |last=Wald |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/09/national/09cnd-amtrak.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 9, 2005 |access-date=May 14, 2015}}</ref> Gunn's replacement, [[Alexander Kummant]] (2006–08), was committed to operating a national rail network, and like Gunn, opposed the notion of putting the Northeast Corridor under separate ownership.<ref name="surprising forecast" /> He said that shedding the system's long-distance routes would amount to selling national assets that are on par with national parks, and that Amtrak's abandonment of these routes would be irreversible. In late 2006, Amtrak unsuccessfully sought annual congressional funding of $1 billion for ten years.<ref name="surprising forecast" /> In early 2007, Amtrak employed 20,000 people in 46 states and served 25&nbsp;million passengers a year, its highest number since its founding in 1970. ''[[Politico]]'' noted a key problem: "the rail system chronically operates in the red. A pattern has emerged: Congress overrides cutbacks demanded by the White House and appropriates enough funds to keep Amtrak from plunging into insolvency. But, Amtrak advocates say, that is not enough to fix the system's woes."<ref>{{cite web |title=A Younger Biden Goes the Extra Miles for Amtrak |first=Andrew |last=Glass |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0207/2672.html |website=[[Politico]] |date=February 7, 2007 |access-date=May 11, 2015 |archive-date=June 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150603012144/http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0207/2672.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Joseph H. Boardman]] replaced Kummant as president and CEO in late 2008.<ref name="Boardman selected" />
[[File:Acela_old_saybrook_ct_summer2011.jpg|right|thumb|An ''[[Acela]]'' at [[Old Saybrook, Connecticut]], in 2011]]
In 2011, Amtrak announced its intention to improve and expand the high-speed rail corridor from Penn Station in NYC, under the Hudson River in new tunnels, and double-tracking the line to [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark, NJ]], called the [[Gateway Project|Gateway Program]], initially estimated to cost $13.5&nbsp;billion (equal to ${{Inflation|index=US|value=13.5|start_year=2011}} billion in {{Inflation/year|index=US}}).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Frassinelli |first=Mike |title=N.J. senators, Amtrak official to announce new commuter train tunnel project across the Hudson |newspaper=The Star-Ledger |date=February 6, 2011 |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/02/nj_senators_to_announce_new_co.html |access-date=February 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20110207232224/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/02/nj_senators_to_announce_new_co.html |archive-date=February 7, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Gateway Project |website=Amtrak |date=February 2011 |url=http://lautenberg.senate.gov/assets/Gateway.pdf |access-date=February 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207210953/http://lautenberg.senate.gov/assets/Gateway.pdf |archive-date=February 7, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Fleisher |first1=Liza |last2=Grossman |first2=Andrew |title=Amtrak's Plan For New Tunnel Gains Support |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=February 8, 2011 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704422204576130673174593178 |access-date=August 28, 2011 |archive-date=July 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712035617/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704422204576130673174593178 |url-status=live}}</ref>

From May 2011 to May 2012, Amtrak celebrated its 40th anniversary with festivities across the country that started on National Train Day (May 7, 2011). A commemorative book entitled ''Amtrak: An American Story'' was published, a documentary was created, [[Amtrak paint schemes#40th anniversary heritage units|six locomotives were painted in Amtrak's four prior paint schemes]], and an Exhibit Train toured the country visiting 45 communities and welcoming more than 85,000 visitors.<ref>{{cite web |last=National Railroad |title=Bulletin Board (40th Anniversary Train Ends U.S.) |url=http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/779/31/Amtrak-Ink-0612.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108035801/http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/779/31/Amtrak-Ink-0612.pdf |archive-date=November 8, 2012 |access-date=July 30, 2012 |work=Amtrak Ink |publisher=National Railroad Passenger Corporation}}</ref>

After years of almost revolving-door CEOs at Amtrak, in December 2013, Boardman was named "Railroader of the Year" by ''Railway Age'' magazine, which noted that with over five years in the job, he is the second-longest serving head of Amtrak since it was formed more than 40 years ago.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/passenger/intercity/amtrak-president-and-ceo-joe-boardman-named-railroader-of-the-year.html |title=Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman named Railroader of the Year |first=William C. |last=Vantuono |date=December 9, 2013 |website=Railway Age |access-date=April 12, 2014 |archive-date=February 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202104135/http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/passenger/intercity/amtrak-president-and-ceo-joe-boardman-named-railroader-of-the-year.html |url-status=live}}</ref> On December 9, 2015, Boardman announced in a letter to employees that he would be leaving Amtrak in September 2016. He had advised the Amtrak Board of Directors of his decision the previous week. On August 19, 2016, the Amtrak Board of Directors named former [[Norfolk Southern Railway]] President & CEO [[Charles Moorman|Charles "Wick" Moorman]] as Boardman's successor with an effective date of September 1, 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://media.amtrak.com/2016/08/amtrak-names-industry-veteran-wick-moorman-president-and-chief-executive-officer/ |title=Amtrak Names Industry Veteran Wick Moorman President and Chief Executive Officer |website=Amtrak Media |date=August 19, 2016 |access-date=September 1, 2016 |archive-date=September 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921205206/http://media.amtrak.com/2016/08/amtrak-names-industry-veteran-wick-moorman-president-and-chief-executive-officer/ |url-status=live}}</ref> During his term, Moorman took no salary<ref>{{cite news |last1=McGeehan |first1=Patrick |title=Amtrak Picks Delta's Former Chief to Lead It Through Challenging Time |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/26/nyregion/amtrak-ceo-richard-anderson.html |work=The New York Times |date=June 26, 2017 |access-date=June 27, 2017 |archive-date=June 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626233736/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/26/nyregion/amtrak-ceo-richard-anderson.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and said that he saw his role as one of a "transitional CEO" who would reorganize Amtrak before turning it over to new leadership.<ref name="WaPoAnderson" />

On November 17, 2016, the Gateway Program Development Corporation (GDC) was formed for the purpose of overseeing and effectuating the rail infrastructure improvements known as the Gateway Program.<ref name=Gateway>{{cite web |url=http://www.gatewayprogram.org/content/dam/nec/18-1-18_GDC-AnnualReport_LR.pdf |title=Gateway Program Overview |date=December 9, 2018 |website=Gatewayprogram.org |access-date=December 9, 2018 |archive-date=February 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190203193731/http://gatewayprogram.org/content/dam/nec/18-1-18_GDC-AnnualReport_LR.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> GDC is a partnership of the States of New York and New Jersey and Amtrak. The Gateway Program includes the Hudson Tunnel Project, to build a new tunnel under the Hudson River and rehabilitate the existing century-old tunnel, and the Portal North Bridge, to replace a century-old moveable bridge with a modern structure that is less prone to failure. Later projects of the Gateway Program, including the expansion of track and platforms at Penn Station New York, construction of the Bergen Loop and other improvements will roughly double capacity for Amtrak and NJ Transit trains in the busiest, most complex section of the Northeast Corridor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gatewayprogram.org/content/dam/nec/18-1-18_GDC-AnnualReport_LR.pdf |title=Gateway Program Overview |date=December 9, 2018 |website=Gatewayprogram.org |access-date=December 9, 2018 |archive-date=February 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190203193731/http://gatewayprogram.org/content/dam/nec/18-1-18_GDC-AnnualReport_LR.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

In June 2017, it was announced that former [[Delta Air Lines|Delta]] and [[Northwest Airlines]] CEO [[Richard H. Anderson (businessman)|Richard Anderson]] would become Amtrak's next President & CEO.<ref name="WaPoAnderson" /> Anderson began the job on July 12, assuming the title of President immediately and serving alongside Moorman as "co-CEOs" until the end of the year. On April 15, 2020, [[Atlas Air]] Chairman, President and CEO William Flynn was named Amtrak President and CEO. In addition to Atlas Air, Flynn has held senior roles at [[CSX Transportation]], [[SeaLand|SeaLand Services]] and GeoLogistics Corp. Anderson would remain with Amtrak as a senior advisor until December 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://media.amtrak.com/2020/03/amtrak-names-william-flynn-as-ceo-and-president/ |title=Amtrak Names William Flynn as CEO and President |date=March 2, 2020 |website=Amtrak |access-date=June 9, 2020 |archive-date=June 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609184253/https://media.amtrak.com/2020/03/amtrak-names-william-flynn-as-ceo-and-president/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

As Amtrak approached profitability in 2020, the company undertook planning to expand and create new intermediate-distance corridors across the country. Included were several new services in Ohio, Tennessee, Colorado, and Minnesota, among other states.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McMurtry |first1=Ian |title=Amtrak 2035: Does Amtrak Finally Have a Strong Plan Against Airlines? |url=https://airlinegeeks.com/2020/10/24/amtrak-2035-does-amtrak-finally-have-a-strong-plan-against-airlines/ |access-date=February 7, 2021 |agency=Airline Geeks |date=October 24, 2020 |archive-date=December 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205153638/https://airlinegeeks.com/2020/10/24/amtrak-2035-does-amtrak-finally-have-a-strong-plan-against-airlines/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=Eric |title=Amtrak route restructure targets new corridors |url=https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Amtrak-route-restructure-targets-new-corridors-15928591.php |access-date=February 7, 2021 |agency=[[Times Union (Albany)|Times Union]] |date=February 5, 2021 |archive-date=February 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207142800/https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Amtrak-route-restructure-targets-new-corridors-15928591.php |url-status=live}}</ref>

During the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19 pandemic]], Amtrak continued operating as an essential service. It started requiring face coverings the week of May 17, and limited sales to 50% of capacity.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/05/07/metro/amtrak-will-require-passengers-wear-face-coverings-starting-next-week/ |title=Amtrak will require passengers to wear face coverings starting next week |website=Boston Globe.com |date=May 7, 2020 |access-date=July 24, 2020 |archive-date=July 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724172320/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/05/07/metro/amtrak-will-require-passengers-wear-face-coverings-starting-next-week/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Most long-distance routes were reduced to three weekly round trips in October 2020.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=Shanna |title=Coronavirus Service Cuts For Amtrak Trains Are Hurting The Local Economy And Traditions In Southern Colorado |url=https://www.cpr.org/2020/10/09/coronavirus-amtrak-service-cutshurting-souther-colorado-economy-traditions/ |access-date=October 11, 2020 |website=[[KRCC]] |date=October 9, 2020 |archive-date=October 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021164714/https://www.cpr.org/2020/10/09/coronavirus-amtrak-service-cutshurting-souther-colorado-economy-traditions/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amtrak.com/alert/tri-weekly-long-distance-schedules.html |title=Long Distance Schedules Change to Tri-Weekly |date=August 2020 |website=Amtrak |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923225950/https://www.amtrak.com/alert/tri-weekly-long-distance-schedules.html |archive-date=September 23, 2020}}</ref>

In March 2021, following President Joe Biden's [[American Jobs Plan]] announcement, Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn outlined a proposal called Amtrak Connects US that would expand state-supported intercity corridors with an infusion of upfront capital assistance.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sobol |first=Evan |title=Amtrak announces 'Connects US' plan to grow rail services over next 15 years |url=https://www.foxcarolina.com/amtrak-announces-connects-us-plan-to-grow-rail-services-over-next-15-years/article_1cefd7a5-e294-57a9-810c-b15c6ef6916c.html |access-date=April 1, 2021 |website=FOX Carolina |language=en |archive-date=April 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414144513/https://www.foxcarolina.com/amtrak-announces-connects-us-plan-to-grow-rail-services-over-next-15-years/article_1cefd7a5-e294-57a9-810c-b15c6ef6916c.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Invest in America. Invest in Amtrak|url=https://www.amtrakconnectsus.com/|access-date=April 1, 2021|website=Amtrak Connects US|language=en-US|archive-date=April 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210401154844/https://www.amtrakconnectsus.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> This would expand service to cities including [[Las Vegas]], [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], [[Baton Rouge]], [[Nashville]], [[Chattanooga]], [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]], [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus (Ohio)]], [[Wilmington, North Carolina|Wilmington (North Carolina)]], [[Cheyenne, Wyoming|Cheyenne]], [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]], [[Concord, New Hampshire|Concord]], and [[Scranton, Pennsylvania|Scranton]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/04/06/984464351/as-biden-pushes-major-rail-investments-rail-amtraks-2035-map-has-people-talking|title=As Biden Pushes Major Rail Investments, Amtrak's 2035 Map Has People Talking|work=NPR|date=April 6, 2021|last=Wamsley|first=Laurel|access-date=May 22, 2021|archive-date=May 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522233332/https://www.npr.org/2021/04/06/984464351/as-biden-pushes-major-rail-investments-rail-amtraks-2035-map-has-people-talking|url-status=live}}</ref> Also in March 2021, Amtrak announced plans to return 12 of its long-distance routes to daily schedules later in the spring.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://media.amtrak.com/2021/03/with-increased-demand-and-congressional-funding-amtrak-restores-12-long-distance-routes-to-daily-service/|title=With Increased Demand and Congressional Funding, Amtrak Restores 12 Long Distance Routes to Daily Service|date=March 10, 2021|website=Amtrak|access-date=April 11, 2021|archive-date=October 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211012085947/https://media.amtrak.com/2021/03/with-increased-demand-and-congressional-funding-amtrak-restores-12-long-distance-routes-to-daily-service/|url-status=live}}</ref> Most of these routes were restored to daily service in late-May 2021.<ref>{{cite news |title=Amtrak restores long-distance service on routes following COVID cutbacks |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2021/05/25/amtrak-train-long-distance-service-restored-covid-cutbacks/7426411002/ |access-date=July 10, 2021 |work=USA TODAY |archive-date=January 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114210138/https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2021/05/25/amtrak-train-long-distance-service-restored-covid-cutbacks/7426411002/ |url-status=live}}</ref> However, a resurgence of the virus caused by the [[SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant|Omicron variant]] caused Amtrak to modify and/or suspend many of these routes again from January to March 2022.<ref>{{cite news |title=Amtrak to decrease service on most routes Jan. 24 to March 27 |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/amtrak-to-decrease-service-on-most-routes-jan-24-to-march-27/ |access-date=January 26, 2022 |work=Trains |archive-date=January 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125210438/https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/amtrak-to-decrease-service-on-most-routes-jan-24-to-march-27/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On March 19, 2025, Stephen Gardner stepped down as CEO, citing an effort to ensure that Amtrak continued to enjoy the full faith and confidence of the [[Second presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]].<ref>{{cite press release |date=March 19, 2025 |title=Amtrak CEO Leadership Transition |url=https://media.amtrak.com/2025/03/amtrak-ceo-leadership-transition/ |publisher=Amtrak}}</ref> This came amid statements from Trump advisor [[Elon Musk]] stating an intention to privatize Amtrak.<ref>{{cite news
| last = Shepardson
| first = David
| title = Elon Musk says Post Office, Amtrak should be privatized
| work = Reuters
| date = March 6, 2025
| url = https://www.reuters.com/world/us/elon-musk-says-post-office-amtrak-should-be-privatized-2025-03-05/
| access-date = March 20, 2025}}</ref>