Designed to Fail - An Amtrak History: Episode 25

(or listen on YouTube)

In the late 1960s, the American passenger rail system was on the verge of collapse. The railroads were losing enormous amounts of money, so Congress stepped in to create Amtrak, America's perpetually broke national passenger railroad.

Timestamps

References & notes

  1. [1] Mass Transit: First phase of trackway construction for TriMet's A Better Red MAX reliability and extension project on schedule to finish on time
  2. [2] Railfan & Railroad Magazine: Amtrak, Freight Railroads Strike a Deal on the Gulf Coast
  3. [3] Wikipedia: Alaska Railroad
  4. [4] Wikipedia: Rail transportation in the United States ยง Passenger railroads
  5. [5] Amtrak: FY 2019 Company Profile
  6. [6] Wikipedia: File:Amtrak System Map.svg
  7. [7] Wikipedia: List of Amtrak routes
  8. [8] Wikipedia: Amtrak
  9. [9] Britannica: Amtrak
  10. [10] Amtrak: How Amtrak Started in 1971
  11. [11] Wikipedia: Auto Train
  12. [12] Wikipedia: Acela
  13. [13] Amtrak: Historic Timeline
  14. [14] Trains: Amtrak's creation story: A nitty-gritty narrative about the origins of the National Passenger Railroad Corp.
  15. [15] American-Rails.com: Amtrak, The National Railroad Passenger Corporation
  16. [16] Amtrak's Long-Distance Trains: Brief History, Benefits, Infrastructure Challenges
  17. [17] Business Insider: The rise and fall of Amtrak, which has been losing money since 1971
  18. [18] Illinois Passenger Rail: Illinois & Amtrak
  19. [19] Wikipedia: High-speed rail in the United States
  20. [20] Wikipedia: High-Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965
  21. [21] Wikipedia: Metroliner (train)
  22. [22] Wikipedia: Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act