What the US Intercity Rail System Could Look Like

In a piece for Fast Company, Kristin Toussaint describes how 15 proposed new Amtrak routes could unlock rail travel for 39 million more Americans and serve over 60 new metro areas, as indicated in a map from the Federal Railroad Administration.

“With those rail lines, previously stranded regions of the country are suddenly connected with bright lines representing passenger rail. They would make the country’s rail network considerably fuller and would bring rail service to all of the lower 48 states,” Toussaint adds. “Less than 10% of riders on Amtrak’s current long-distance routes ride from end-to-end, the study notes, but what these routes do is connect people to all the urban and rural places in between.”

The study was the result of a directive that was part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and was delivered to Congress this week. Public comments submitted as part of the study indicate strong public support for more intercity rail service. As Toussaint notes, “Amtrak itself saw record ridership in 2024, with new routes quickly surpassing expectations.”

Implementing all these new routes would take significant federal investment and planning. According to the study, “there is no sustained financial support or program to construct or operate the selected preferred route options.”