Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak (/ˈæmtræk/; reporting marks AMTK, AMTZ), is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. Amtrak is a portmanteau of the words America and trak, the latter itself a sensational spelling of track.
For other uses, see Amtrak (disambiguation) and Amtrac.Overview
1 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, D.C.
- Stephen Gardner (CEO)[3]
- Roger Harris (President)[4]
AMTK and AMTZ
IATA code: 2V
- Contiguous United States (except South Dakota and Wyoming)
- British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec in Canada
4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
- 12 kV, 25 Hz AC: Northeast Corridor (Washington–New York) and Keystone Corridor
- 12.5 kV, 60 Hz AC: Northeast Corridor (New York–New Haven)
- 25 kV, 60 Hz AC: Northeast Corridor (New Haven–Boston)
- Routes: 21,400 mi (34,400 km)
- Track owned: 623 mi (1,003 km)
Founded in 1971 as a quasi-public corporation to operate many U.S. passenger rail routes, Amtrak receives a combination of state and federal subsidies but is managed as a for-profit organization. The company's headquarters is located one block west of Union Station in Washington, D.C.[5] Amtrak is headed by a Board of Directors, two of whom are the Secretary of Transportation and CEO of Amtrak, while the other eight members are nominated to serve a term of five years.[6]
Amtrak's network includes over 500 stations along 21,400 miles (34,000 km) of track. It directly owns approximately 623 miles (1,003 km) of this track and operates an additional 132 miles of track; the remaining mileage is over rail lines owned by other railroad companies. Some track sections allow trains to run as fast as 150 mph (240 km/h).
In fiscal year 2022, Amtrak served 22.9 million passengers and had $2.1 billion in revenue, with more than 17,100 employees as of fiscal year 2021. Nearly 87,000 passengers ride more than 300 Amtrak trains daily.[7] Nearly two-thirds of passengers come from the 10 largest metropolitan areas and 83% of passengers travel on routes shorter than 400 miles (645 km).[8]
Labor issues[edit]
In the modern era, Amtrak faces a number of important labor issues. As of 2023, the average Amtrak employee annual salary was $121,000 per year.[154] In the area of pension funding, because of limitations originally imposed by Congress, most Amtrak workers were traditionally classified as "railroad employees" and contributions to the Railroad Retirement system have been made for those employees. However, because the size of the contributions is determined on an industry-wide basis rather than with reference to the employer for whom the employees work, some critics, such as the National Association of Railroad Passengers, maintain that Amtrak is subsidizing freight railroad pensions by as much as US$150 million/year.[155]
In recent times, efforts at reforming passenger rail have addressed labor issues. In 1997 Congress released Amtrak from a prohibition on contracting for labor outside the corporation (and outside its unions), opening the door to privatization.[156] Since that time, many of Amtrak's employees have been working without a contract. The most recent contract, signed in 1999, was mainly retroactive.
Because of the fragmentation of railroad unions, Amtrak had 14 separate unions to negotiate with, including 24 separate contracts between them as of 2009.[157] This makes it difficult to make substantial changes, in contrast to a situation where one union negotiates with one employer. Former Amtrak president Kummant followed a cooperative posture with Amtrak's trade unions, ruling out plans to privatize large parts of Amtrak's unionized workforce.[77]
Environmental impacts[edit]
Amtrak's environmental impact[edit]
Per passenger mile, Amtrak is 30–40 percent more energy-efficient than commercial airlines and automobiles overall,[158] though the exact figures for particular routes depend on load factor along with other variables. The electrified trains in the NEC are considerably more efficient than Amtrak's diesels and can feed energy captured from regenerative braking back to the electrical grid. Passenger rail is also very competitive with other modes in terms of safety per mile.
In 2005, Amtrak's carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per passenger were 0.411 lbs/mi (0.116 kg per km).[159] For comparison, this is similar to a car with two people,[160] about twice as high as the UK rail average (where more of the system is electrified),[161] about four times the average US motorcoach,[162] and about eight times a Finnish electric intercity train or fully loaded fifty-seat coach.[163][164] It is, however, about two thirds of the raw CO2-equivalent emissions of a long-distance domestic flight.[165]
Amtrak operates diesel, electric, and dual-mode (diesel and electric) locomotives on over thirty passenger train routes throughout the U.S. and Canada. Diesel-powered engines produce more greenhouse gas emissions during operation than electric trains.
As for the locational pollution directly from Amtrak operation, their diesel trains cause more regional air pollution, impacting the ecosystems around the sites of operation. Also, more stops along train routes can lead to higher greenhouse gas emissions.[166] Amtrak rail facilities located in Delaware were cited as the state's largest source of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination into the Delaware River, which build up in the tissue of animals and are human carcinogens.[167]
Environmental impact on Amtrak[edit]
Amtrak railways and surrounding infrastructure are susceptible to degradation by natural causes over time.[168] Railways experience water damage from climate change backed increases in rainfall in wet areas, and rail buckling caused by hotter and dryer seasons in naturally dry areas.[169]
In September 2021, the remnants of Hurricane Ida flooded the Amtrak Northeast Corridor running from Boston to Washington D.C. and caused it to shut down for an entire day.[170] In February 2023, heavy snowfall and debris on tracks caused major disruptions from delays to cancellations.[171]
Rising summertime temperatures are causing an increase in railway buckles. A study conducted on the railways in the southeast United Kingdom found that when temperature changes become extreme in the summertime due to climate change, the tracks buckle due to the outward force of the metal expanding in collaboration with the weight of train car traffic. This causes speed restrictions to be put in place around certain temperature intervals, slowing travel time and lessening the amount of train rides in a day. The study found that in 2004, 30,000 delay minutes were attributed to increased heat causing a total of over 1.7 million U.S. dollars, of total heat related delay cost.[169]
Publication[edit]
In April 1974, Amtrak News was launched as Amtrak's bi-monthly in-house journal.[205]
