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Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study

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The Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study was created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to be completed by the Federal Railroad Administration. Its purpose is to evaluate the restoration and addition of discontinued and new long-distance passenger services, as well as the upgrading of tri-weekly long-distance services to daily operation.[1][2][3]

History

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In November 2021, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Section 22214 of the law orders the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to study the restoration of all long-distance Amtrak routes that had been discontinued, daily service on non-daily trains (the Cardinal and Sunset Limited), and the possibility of new long-distance routes—particularly those that were discontinued upon the formation of Amtrak.[4][2][3] The criteria for new routes under consideration is that they "link and serve large and small communities as part of a regional rail network", "advance the economic and social well-being of rural areas of the United States", "provide enhanced connectivity for the national long-distance passenger rail system", and "reflect public engagement and local and regional support for restored passenger rail service".[1][3][4]

Work on the Long-Distance Service Study began in September 2022.[3]

In April 2023, the FRA released information that they had successfully held a series of six working group meetings during the previous February where they met with stakeholders and worked to review the study's requirements and to evaluate discontinued services.[5] Included in the regional reports was information about current LD routes trip origin-destinatinaion pairs, as well as similar information for proposed routes.[6] Materials from the meetings indicated that the FRA was studying 18 discontinued long-distance Amtrak routes,[7] as well as four that were discontinued on Amtrak's creation in 1971: the City of Miami, George Washington, Pan-American, and San Francisco Chief.[8]

In August 2023, the FRA released their second round of meeting materials.[9]

In November 2023, the FRA released their interim report to congress describing their current progress in the study.[10]

In February 2024, the FRA released its third round of meeting materials which included a preferred draft network of fifteen new long-distance routes.[11][12] The plan would increase the coverage of the long-distance Amtrak network by 23,200 route miles,[13] reaching an additional 45 million population,[14] 61 metropolitan statistical areas,[13] 24 congressional districts,[15] twelve National Park Service sites,[16] and two states (Wyoming and South Dakota).[15] Another round of public input will take place before the final set of actions are recommended to Congress in spring 2024.[17]

Long-Distance Service Study draft preferred routes
Designation Route[note 1] Miles (km) Duration Historic analog
Chicago–Miami Chicago – Indianapolis – Louisville – Nashville – Chattanooga – Atlanta – Macon – Jacksonville – Orlando – Miami 1,529 (2,461) 36 hr Floridian
Dallas/Fort Worth–Miami Dallas–Fort Worth – Shreveport – Baton Rouge – New Orleans – Mobile – Pensacola – Tallahassee – Jacksonville – Miami 1,498 (2,411) 36 hr
Denver–Houston Denver – Colorado Springs – Trinidad – Amarillo – Dallas–Fort Worth – Bryan – Houston 1,096 (1,764) 26 hr Texas Zephyr
Los Angeles–Denver[18] Los Angeles – Barstow – Las Vegas – Salt Lake City – Cheyenne – Denver 1,440 (2,320) 33 hr Desert Wind
Phoenix–Minneapolis/St. Paul[19][20][21] Phoenix – Flagstaff – Albuquerque – Amarillo – Wichita – Kansas City – Omaha – Sioux Falls – Minneapolis–Saint Paul 2,186 (3,518) 48 hr
Dallas/Fort Worth–New York[20][22] Dallas–Fort Worth – Oklahoma City – Tulsa – Springfield – St. Louis – Indianapolis – Cincinnati – Columbus – Pittsburgh – Philadelphia – New York City 1,854 (2,984) 45 hr National Limited
Houston–New York Houston – New Orleans – Mobile – Montgomery – Atlanta – Chattanooga – Lynchburg – Washington, D.C. – Philadelphia – New York City 1,840 (2,960) 44 hr Southerner
Seattle–Denver [23][24][18] Seattle – Portland – Boise – Pocatello – Salt Lake City – Grand Junction – Denver 1,671 (2,689) 40 hr Pioneer
San Antonio–Minneapolis/St. Paull[20][22] San Antonio – Dallas–Fort Worth – Tulsa – Kansas City – Des Moines – Minneapolis–Saint Paul 1,572 (2,530) 32 hr Twin Star Rocket
San Francisco–Dallas/Fort Worth San Francisco – Bakersfield – Barstow – Phoenix – Tucson – El Paso – Midland – Dallas–Fort Worth 1,911 (3,075) 43 hr
Detroit–New Orleans Detroit – Columbus – Cincinnati – Louisville – Nashville – Birmingham – Montgomery – Mobile – New Orleans 1,246 (2,005) 29 hr Pan-American
Denver–Minneapolis/St. Paul[19][21][25][26] Denver – Cheyenne – Rapid City – Pierre – Sioux Falls – Minneapolis–Saint Paul 1,136 (1,828) 26 hr
Seattle–Chicago[27][28][24][29] Seattle – Yakima – Spokane – Sandpoint – Helena – Billings – Bismarck – Fargo – Minneapolis–Saint Paul – Milwaukee – Chicago 2,096 (3,373) 50 hr North Coast Hiawatha
Dallas/Fort Worth–Atlanta Dallas–Fort Worth – Shreveport – Jackson – Meridian – Birmingham – Atlanta 870 (1,400) 22 hr
El Paso–Billings [29] El Paso – Las Cruces – Albuquerque – Trinidad – Colorado Springs – Denver – Cheyenne – Casper – Billings 1,393 (2,242) 31 hr Shoshone

Notes

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  1. ^ Not all stops are listed. Italics indicate cities lacking rail service at the time of the study.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study". Federal Railroad Administration. Archived from the original on 23 February 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b Johnston, Bob (1 November 2022). "FRA launches passenger long-distance study site". Trains. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  3. ^ a b c d Worrell, Carolina (2 November 2022). "FRA Kicks Off Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study". Railway Age. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  4. ^ a b Alan, David (15 November 2021). "What's in the Infrastructure Package for Passenger Rail? (Updated)". Railway Age. Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  5. ^ "FRA Holds Stakeholder Meetings to Study the Restoration and Expansion of Amtrak Long-Distance Passenger Rail Services". Federal Railroad Administration. 6 April 2024. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  6. ^ Johnston, Bob (2023-04-02). "FRA look at Amtrak long-distance service yields wealth of data". Trains. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  7. ^ Regional Working Group Meeting 1 2023, p. 68
  8. ^ Regional Working Group Meeting 1 2023, p. 67
  9. ^ Vantuono, William (14 August 2023). "Welcome to Amtrak Study Hall (UPDATED Aug. 14 with Additional Commentary)". Railway Age. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study Interim Report to Congress" (PDF). Federal Railroad Administration. November 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  11. ^ Alan, David (21 February 2024). "FRA L-D Study Suggests Restored Routes". Railway Age. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  12. ^ Johnston, Bob (2024-02-27). "FRA releases long-distance study interim report, invites comments". Trains. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  13. ^ a b Regional Working Group Meeting 3 2024, p. 101
  14. ^ Regional Working Group Meeting 3 2024, p. 97
  15. ^ a b Regional Working Group Meeting 3 2024, p. 100
  16. ^ Regional Working Group Meeting 3 2024, p. 110
  17. ^ Regional Working Group Meeting 3 2024, p. 162
  18. ^ a b Nielsen, Rob (24 February 2024). "New details of ongoing study add to hopes for restored Amtrak service in Ogden". Standard-Examiner. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  19. ^ a b Mayer, Eric (2024-02-19). "South Dakota makes updated proposed passenger rail map". KELO. Archived from the original on 20 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  20. ^ a b c Branson, Carina (2024-02-24). "FRA study: More Amtrak routes could be passing through Kansas". KSN-TV. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  21. ^ a b Seamer, Cooper (2024-02-22). "Advocates: Proposed Amtrak service a big first step for South Dakota". Dakota News Now. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  22. ^ a b Lattimer, Dustin (2024-02-27). "Passenger rail study could bring Amtrak to the Four States". KSNF/KODE. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  23. ^ Harris, Shelbie (2022-11-12). "Support growing to put Amtrak Pioneer Route back on track". Idaho State Journal. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  24. ^ a b Kidston, Martin (2023-04-07). "Big Sky Passenger Rail hopeful as long-distance study advances". Missoula Current. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  25. ^ Louder, Tyler (2024-02-22). "Railroad experts weigh in on South Dakotas inclusion on updated passenger rail map". KELO. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  26. ^ Underwood, Jack (2024-02-26). "Amtrak line proposed in the Panhandle". Star-Herald. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  27. ^ Kidston, Martin (2022-12-23). "Federal Railroad Admin to Big Sky Passenger Rail: Stay engaged as study moves forward". Missoula Current. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  28. ^ Eggert, Amanda (2023-12-18). "What's next in the push to restore southern Montana's passenger rail service". Montana Free Press. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  29. ^ a b Eggert, Amanda (2024-02-21). "Long-distance rail route through southern Montana garners another nod from feds". Montana Free Press. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-27.

Sources

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