The Amtrak Facts Page

Nationwide, Amtrak trains serve 45 states, except Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, South Dakota and Wyoming. (Wyoming is served by Amtrak Thruway Motorcoaches. Plans are being developed to initiate service in Maine.)

Amtrak trains operate over more than 22,000 route miles. Amtrak owns 730 route miles primarily between Boston and Washington and in Michigan. In other parts of the country, Amtrak trains operate over tracks owned by the freight railroads.

Amtrak employs more than 24,000 people.

In 1998, Amtrak served more than 21 million passengers for a total of 5 billion passenger miles. (A passenger mile is one person transported one mile.)

Amtrak, the nation's largest provider of contract-commuter service for state and regional authorities, served an additional 54 million passengers. Amtrak operates commuter services for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC), Virginia Railway Express (VRE), Coasters (California), Metrolink (California), Caltrain (California), and Shoreline East (Connecticut). Amtrak also has won from the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority a contract to provide maintenance for the new Sound Transit in the Seattle area.

On weekdays, Amtrak operates up to 265 trains per day weekdays, excluding commuter trains.

117 trains in the Northeast Corridor Strategic Business Unit (New England and Mid-Atlantic states)

48 trains in the Amtrak West Strategic Business Unit (Washington, Oregon and California)

100 trains in the Amtrak Intercity Business Unit