A Look at Amtrak’s Ambitious Expansion Plan

Writing in Bloomberg CityLab, Angie Schmitt outlines what Amtrak’s $75 billion expansion plan could mean for U.S. train travel. “Amtrak’s expansion plan, dubbed Amtrak Connects US, proposes service improvements to 25 existing routes and the addition of 39 entirely new routes. If the vision were to be fully realized, it would bring passenger rail to almost every major city in the US in 15 years.” Today, that number stands at 27 out of 50 largest metro areas served.

Amtrak’s ambitious new plan, Schmitt notes, is “a long way from the giant network of interurban trains that Americans relied on to get around early in the 20th century, but the plan would still mark a dramatic expansion of passenger rail.”

Schmitt describes the proposed expansion, which would include new service in 160 communities in 16 states and restored service in legacy cities like Las Vegas and Columbus. “In Cleveland, Amtrak has proposed turning the Midwest city into a mini-hub, with three daily trips to Detroit; currently, its served just twice daily in the middle of the night.” Schmitt notes, “All US regions would see some improvements, but one of the goals of the plan is to better align service with new population centers in the Sun Belt and US South.”

Funding from the infrastructure bill is also aimed at replacing and modernizing Amtrak’s trains, which will translate into faster and more reliable service as well as conveniences like Wi-Fi and USB ports. “More than delivering truly high-speed rail, Amtrak’s plans focus on improving on-time performance — a chronic challenge given that Amtrak often must share tracks with freight trains — as well as boosting average speeds on the most well-used corridors.”

Ultimately, U.S. train service remains far substandard compared to other countries. “But if a large portion of Amtrak’s plans are realized, it could help return train travel into the mainstream in a way most Americans have never experienced in their lifetimes.”