The common wisdom at the time was that Amtrak would be a relatively temporary measure, and with 5 years, the remaining inter-city passenger trains would wither and die off.

In fact, the concept was actually "sold" to the skeptics and nay-sayers in Congress, wary of putting the nation "on the hook" for continuing operating subsidies, with the promise that it would be "profitable" in five years, or it would then be discontinued and liquidated.

We are coming up on the 40th anniversary of that planned "discontinuance" date.

This is, like many other examples, a classic case of why you never trust the word "temporary" next to a government program--it all too quickly becomes an "entitlement."

Three books I would recommend for the student/"newbie" trying to figure out Amtrak's beginning:
Journey to Amtrak by Harold Edmonson (Kalmbach, 1972)
All Aboard Amtrak by Mike Schafer (Railpace, 1991)
Twilight of the Great Trains by Fred W. Frailey (Kalmbach 1998; republished with additional material 2010 Indiana Univ. Press)

In April 1971, there were something like 300 inter-city passenger trains being operated by railroad corporations.

In May 1971, Amtrak was operating about 150 trains.

The service, reduced as it was in early 1971, was cut in half once Amtrak took effect. The common wisdom at the time was that Amtrak would be a relatively temporary measure, and with 5 years, the remaining inter-city passenger trains would wither and die off. The last 45 years have been a bit different.

Howard P.

"entry of Amtrak into the market" and "new, sudden competition" suggests Mr. Wolk is lacking an understanding of the creation and purpose of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation dba Amtrak.

In brief, intercity passenger service was in steep decline in the 60's due to competition from jet airline service and the interstate highway system. The trains were incurring major losses to the railroads. Although the heavily regulated railroads usually needed to get permission from the ICC and (sometimes) state regulators to discontinue trains, one by one the trains were being discontinued. Congress created NRPC to take over passenger service and basically "save" the American intercity passenger train. They would contract with the railroads to actually run the trains and pay for the use of the tracks but joining Amtrak would otherwise relieve the railroads of the passenger losses. Joining was not mandatory but if one did not join, further service discontinuances were blocked for something like five years. There was a fee to join based on prior year losses.

As stated, basically three carriers with "real" passenger service stayed out. Rio Grande for fear of what affect passenger trains (which have to stick to a schedule and other trains have to get out of the way for) might have on their freight operations, Rock Island (said it could not afford to join) and Southern (which apparently simply did not want to have anything to do with a government operation).

Amtrak's basic routes were a fraction of the passenger service that was still running at that time so its inception marked the end of many trains.

Surely those post 1971 state-supported trains were in fact technically Amtrak trains under 403B, the part of the law that allowed states to arrange for additional service if they covered the losses.

The Georgia Railroad also stayed out of AMTRAK.
Their mixed trains continued to run for a few years after 1971.

Paul

With all due respect to my friends south of the M-D Line, the Georgia Railroad was a rather marginal passenger carrier in 1971. I was going to mention that mixed train service, but decided to stick with the "Famous Three" roads.

Wonder how much a head the Georgia could charge nowadays to ride a "real" mixed train?

Howard P.