Resources & Links

Changes to Amtrak and Thruway bus service in California, effective with the Spring/Summer 2010 Timetable.

Read a PDF version of Amtrak’s monthly newsletter for employees here.

The Museum of Railway Timetables has electronic images of every page of every Amtrak system timetable published since Amtrak began service in May 1971.

... plus those in planning stages and with short bus shuttle links

May 19, 2008 letter from NARP Executive Director Ross B. Capon to six New England Governors, thanking them for pressuring Amtrak on the planned June 14-17 shutdown of New Haven-Boston service

April 18, 2008 e-mail from NARP Executive Director Ross B. Capon to the Amtrak Board and senior management regarding the planned June 14-17 shutdown of New Haven-Boston service.

This car and three others will enter service October 28 on The City of New Orleans as the “Cross Country Cafe”.  As featured in the December issue of NARP News.

Amtrak service maps from the inception of Amtrak (May 1, 1971) to present

Maps from 1962, 1967 & 1970 & 1971

Information about the release of the annual ORNL study that shows good fuel efficiency for passenger trains.

Knowing the history of U.S. railroading, including the railroads’ use of intercity passenger rail to attract and keep big freight shippers rather than as a profit center, can be helpful in understanding the current situation and debating future policy.  Most of the following was compiled in October, 2003, by NARP Executive Director Ross B. Capon, but we continue to add important historical facts as time permits.  The books and reports quoted are excellent factual sources, whether or not you agree with their spin on every point.  They are listed at the end, with numbers corresponding to the footnotes in the text below.

A feature from NARP News that gives brief tips about rail travel

March 2, 2006 letter from NARP President George Chilson to Amtrak Chairman David Laney urging full restoration of the Sunset Limited upon completion of repairs to the Hurricane Katrina-damaged railroad.

The text of a brochure published by NARP explaining what to expect when riding a train.  Revised September 2007.

Some tips from Loise Capon (wife of NARP Executive Director Ross B. Capon) to make traveling by rail with children a more pleasant experience

Train travel is safe, but using common sense will help you avoid opportunities for injury when you are around trains

From various Amtrak annual reports, covering years since 1988

Regarding air-quality impact of rail improvements relative to other modes

... from NARP to the Federal Railroad Administration, against a Union Pacific application to remove signals that would be useful to restoring passenger service to Phoenix (from March 13, 1998)

... from NARP about service passenger-train delays since the Conrail break-up (from December 9, 1999)

... from NARP (August 23, 2000) and from the Midwest High Speed Rail Coalition (August 21, 2000)

Some demographic information from Amtrak

Mini-profiles of long-distance passengers

Information from the June 1997 newsletter (and since updated) about the historic relationship between government highway spending and passenger rail traffic trends

Some critics say Amtrak didn’t perform well after the September 2001 attacks, but a comparison to airline traffic shows otherwise

Current and historical Amtrak policies towards the carriage of bicycles

Amtrak only permits smoking on board the Auto Train (Lorton, VA - Sanford, FL).  On all other trains, smoking is permitted at designated station stops as announced by the conductor.

Go to Amtrak’s website for full details on their smoking policy.

... or rather, why aren’t pets allowed?