by 
As I sip a decent cup of strong coffee from the dining car, rambling along the rails north for a weekend in Chicago, via Amtrak’s Lincoln Service route.; the coach seats are spacious, the cars clean, the conductors are friendly and efficient and honestly a comfortable and relaxed four and a half hour journey. I sadly reflect that not enough Americans know the pleasure of riding a train. I also wonder if the future is bleak for American passenger train service.
As the rail services and infrastructure have slowly been eliminated from our communities, as American-made production and factories have vanished from nearly every corner, as most Americans have never ridden a train nor had convenient access, as the government is now in purge-mode of it’s fiscally dependent programs… it’s very apparent the romantic notion of traveling by rail across America, is dangling by a thread.
Today I ride the 5 car long Lincoln Line (St Louis to Chicago) despite it being a full train of passengers, it’s ominously obvious that America’s railway hey-day is gone… as we roll by endless empty buildings that used to be bustling station stops, vine covered ghost towns where factories once thrived, major urban hubs with empty streets and shuttered office behemoths sitting silent. Communities that boomed when railways were kings, and slowly died since.
A LITTLE HISTORY….
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company established itself as the first U.S. railroad company in 1827, and it was a boom in the making. By 1860, U.S. rail workers had laid more than 30,000 miles (48,280 kilometers) of track, more than in the entire world. By 1920 (near the peak of American rail life) there was 253,000 miles of track across the country. But the glory days would not last long.
Before the turn of the century, railroads were engaged in an ongoing process of innovation, expansion, and consolidation. Railroads shaped the nation and were in turn shaped by it.
Employment soared, quiet settlements turned into bustling towns where trains stopped, industry grew out of industry. For nearly 40 years (even despite the Civil War and post recession years) railways and the life that buzzed around them were good, especially if you owned a railway.
But the success from innovation and public demand bred greed in the minds and wallets of the men in charge of these rail lines. By the turn of the 19th century the Rail Barons were swimming in prosperity and widening the gap of elitism from skyrocketing rates combined with lessening basic amenities and near no improvements for the regular-joe rider, causing president Roosevelt to lead the march in enforcing regulations to be handled by the ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission) to oversee America’s privately owned and managed railways.
Within 15 years the nations railways saw a drastic decline in quality of service, due to unsafe standards in most cases. Government oversight caused ownership retaliation. Investment in railroads fell, maintenance standards went down, and new freight and passenger equipment was not ordered in sufficient quantities to keep up with the ongoing demands for replacement and modernization of railroad fleets. The nation had succeeded in regulating its railroads, but with undesired results.
Then the world became chaos and the effects reached our shores. WWI put great strain on the nations resources. Shipping demands across the country via rail to the east coast, the infrastructure strain upon the railways and unmanageable congestion within the rail yards became crippling.
By 1917 the United States Railroad Administration was established. Duplicated services were trimmed or eliminated, hefty wage increases were granted by the government to avert strikes, standardized locomotive and car designs were introduced, and increases in freight rates and passenger fares were approved — but not enough to cover the increasing costs of providing service during those troubled years.
The costs had far exceeded the return in the railway business for over 30 years and at this point the lack of maintenance and upkeep were apparent. America’s railways were just worn out.
The 1920’s brought some management back to the ownership via the Transportation Act, and although the railways saw a bit of a Golden Age in ridership, the margin was still minimal and the future was dimming as alternative modes of transit were on the horizon.
But the past brazen behavior of Railway Barons, the decline in rail services, the economic catastrophe nationally and the now very accessible modern automobile, converged to become the inevitable political force forward. The government, on cue, to expand the nations highway system and automaker support.
The crash depression years of the 1930’s did however bring a new focus for railroads and carbuilders to discover the best and most marketable ways to combine more efficient and technical innovations of streamlining, internal combustion power, and lightweight construction. Over the next few years, a series of streamlined and air-conditioned motor trains were produced to test and demonstrate these concepts. But the railroads’ emphasis on speed, comfort, and luxury for the fortunate few, alienated most all Americans who had been impacted by the depression and drove these less affluent travelers permanently into the culture of the automobile.
The expansion of the interstate highway system, WWII, air travel… all these only brought decreased rail lines and even less maintenance and modernization. Traveling by train became less and less of a necessity for Americans.
Early on in American train travel, freight railroads offered passenger services, but didn’t make much money so in 1970 Congress created Amtrak to take over passenger services from the freight railroad companies.
Today, Amtrak receives federal, state and local funding support in return for offering passenger and commuter services. But despite the government support and increased ridership, Amtrak has yet to ever turn a profit. In 2007, Amtrak’s expenses exceeded its revenues by about $1 billion. In 2024 Amtrak achieved an all-time ridership record in Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), welcoming a historic 32.8 million customers as demand for passenger rail service continues to grow in markets across the nation. Amtrak also invested an unprecedented $4.5 billion into major infrastructure and fleet projects – creating the largest boom in rail construction in Amtrak’s history… BUT still no profit.
Most modern day riders don’t realize Amtrak mostly operates on leased tracks owned by host railroads. In fact, approximately 95% percent of Amtrak routes are owned by freight companies. But Amtrak does have more than 500 destinations in 46 states. However only about 25% of Amtrak’s revenue is from ticket sales, the majority or the remaining revenue is government funding.
In comparison… although also subsidized, Freight railroads report revenues greater than $346.8 million. There are only seven U.S. freight railroads, and they haul more than 67 percent of the nation’s freight. They operate 3,200 to 32,000 miles (5,150 to 51,499 kilometers) of track and typically engage in long hauls.
Interestingly enough the most common item is coal for electrical power plants (44 percent tonnage and 21 percent revenue)…. So much for eliminating fossil fuels in America.
** Amtrak does own and operate 363 route miles of the 457-route-mile North East Coast main line, a number of lines outside this line, as well as station structures, platforms, and parking facilities, and a total of 13 maintenance facilities.
Sadly the future will probably not be rail in America. As the rail system and infrastructure has slowly been eliminated from our communities, as American-made production and factories have vanished from nearly every corner, as most Americans have never ridden a train nor had convenient access, as the government is now in purge-mode of it’s fiscally dependent programs… it’s very apparent the romantic notion of traveling by rail across America, is dangling by a thread.
GREAT BOOKS TO READ MORE …
Iron Empires… By Michael Hiltzik
Hear That Lonesome Whistle Blow… By Dee Brown
The Great Railroad Revolution: The History of Trains in America …by Christian Wolmar.
** Books for recommendation are linked to my Amazon Affiliate account
