AMTRAK

AMTRAK. The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak, was a publicly funded railroad service operated and managed as a for-profit corporation which began operations on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States.

Amtrak operated more than 300 trains daily on 21,300 miles (34,000 km) of track with select segments having civil operating speeds of 150 mph and connecting more than 500 destinations in 46 states in addition to three Canadian provinces. In fiscal year 2012, Amtrak served a record 31.2 million passengers and had $2.88 billion in revenue while employing more than 20,000 people. Nearly two-thirds of its passengers come from the ten largest metropolitan areas and 83% of it passengers traveled on routes of 400 miles or less. Its headquarters was at Union Station in Washington, D.C. (1)

Between 1974 and 1981, Amtrak operated the "Blackhawk" between Chicago and Dubuque. The 182-mile route along ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILROAD tracks stopped at Elmhurst, Rockford, Freeport, Warren, Galena and East Dubuque.

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Source:

1. "Amtrak." Wikipedia. Online: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amtrak

2. Meyer, Jeffrey J. "Clear the Tracks!" Julien's Journal, March 2010, p. 36