May 2011 - Amtrak

60 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002
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40 Years Ago In Amtrak History...
1 9 7 1
Presorted
Standard
U.S. Postage
PAID
Des Moines, IA
Permit No. 589
“The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, known as Amtrak, officially went into business at 12:01 a.m. today.
It brought to the nation a new era of intercity railroad service, eliminating almost 200 trains, including some famed
in song and legend, but also promising to provide faster and more comfortable service on those that remained.”
— The New York Times, May 1, 1971
“As their last overnight trains arrive this morning in the nation’s major cities, the railroads will officially transfer
passenger service to the National Railroad Passenger Corp. (Amtrak) — a quasi-government corporation created
last year by Congress with presidential appointees as directors.”
— The Washington Post, May 1, 1971
“Certainly the drastic surgery represented by Amtrak is better than letting rail passenger service continue to suffer
a slow, lingering death.”
— Deseret News editorial (Salt Lake City), April 30, 1971
“Spokesmen for the company said [the name] Amtrak had been chosen after a selection process that started with
about 1,000 candidate names. The object was … to find a word that was short, easy to pronounce and remember,
conveyed a sense of speed and ‘modernity,’ and was not restricted to rail travel, since the corporation hopes to
some day offer service on high-speed trains that travel on a cushion of air rather than wheels.”
— The New York Times, April 20, 1971