Vol. 4, No.1 January 15, 1977 Corridor Takeover, New Equipment _____-----, [ Highlight Amtrak's 1976 1976 was the year that Amtrak ac­ distance trains was 78.4 which meant "Sightseer/Lounge" cars with wide quired the Northeast Corridor and that about 22,500 passengers a day expanses of glass for easy viewing of put over 75 per cent of its short-dis­ were riding in new cars while only the scenery. tance passengers into new trains. 6,000 were still riding in refurbished In the busy Northeast Corridor, Both accomplishments were an im­ conventional cars. Amtrak was experimenting with an portant part of Amtrak's future de­ advanced Swedish electric passenger velopment. The decision to buy the For The Long Haul locomotive. A similar locomotive of Northeast Corridor properties of the French design was to arrive early in Amtrak's equipment picture is a bankrupt railroads made Amtrak, for 1977 for testing. Both are capable of very dynamic one. The short-haul the first time in its history, an operat­ 120 mile an hour speeds. passenger was being taken care of ing railroad with 722 miles of its own Experience gained in working with with Turboliners, Amfleet trains and track and 130 stations. the best foreign-built equipment will the older Metroliners. But the long­ As the year ended, Amtrak was dis­ be used in writing the specifications distance traveler could look forward patching its own trains between Bos­ for future Amtrak locomotives and to new equipment, too. In Ham­ ton and Washington and maintaining cars to be built in this country . mond, Indiana, Pullman Standard its own right-of-way. was getting ready to roll ou t the New Services first of 284 new double-deck long dis­ New Cars tance coaches, sieepers and food and The Shenandoah, the PaimeUo, the Amtrak's new passenger cars began lounge cars. The first of the new bi­ Colonial and the Caltrak San Diegan, arriving in substantial numbers early level cars were scheduled for delivery were four trains that joined Amtrak's in 1976. in mid-1977. The order, which was roster in 1976. The Shenandoah Conversion from the old to the new amended twice during 1976, will in­ began daily service between Washing­ was dramatic enough so that by clude both economy and first-class ton and Cincinnati on October 31. year's end more than three out of sleeping accommodations and The Palmetto started running daily every four passengers on short-dis­ tance Amtrak trains were riding in An Editorial new cars. Trains involved were either Turbo­ A Big Pat on the Back liners or the new locomotive-hauled stainless steel Amfleet cars, all of Despite the crush of holiday throngs, bitter cold weather in some which have been purchased within the parts of the country, some derailments, and slow orders imposed by last three years. Sixty turbo power some railroads because of the below-zero temperat4res, Amtrak em­ cars and coaches and 379 Amfleet ployees for the most part served well beyond the call of duty during cars had been delivered by year's end. the year-end holidays. The new equipment first went to A mtrak News had the opportunity to travel during the period the short-distance trains that carry and, based on its observations, has nothing but the highest commen­ the bulk of Amtrak's riders. But the dation for the people it found working both on Amtrak trains and in modernization program has reached the stations. the stage where over half of all Am­ Admittedly, the sample was small but if it is indicative of what other trak's passengers - both short-haul Amtrak employees were doing they all worked long hours under rough and long-haul - were now riding in conditions but kept their good humor during the period. new coaches, . behind new locomo­ The first train we attempted to ride didn't exist, at least not at its tives, at the end of the year. origination point. The eastbound Broadway Limited had been ter­ The actual percentage of pas­ (Continued on page 3) sengers riding in new cars on short- newest marketing tool, the U.S.A. What 1976 Meant to Amtrak Rail Pass, which is available to • Acquired Northeast Corridor • Testing starts on Swedish foreign visitors as well as domestic and took over its operation. electric locomotive, French travelers. • Amfleet cars put on most electric locomotive leased for The U.S .A. Rail Pass, geared to short-distance trains. other testing. encourage travel in off-peak periods, • Rohr Turboliners arrive, go • Schedule times reduced. was first offered in March 1976 for a into Empire service. • Ridership goes up. two and one-half month experimental • Construction begins on long­ • More shops, yards taken over period. Results were encouraging. distance, bi-Ievel cars. by Amtrak. Prices were raised during the peak • Shenandoah, Palmetto, Colo­ • Construction begins on Rens­ summer months when Amtrak trains nial begin service. selaer maintenance facility. often run at near capacity and then • Fourth San Diego-Los Angeles • Salt Lake City-Seattle train lowered again in autumn when more train put into operation. via Boise, Idaho, announced. seats were available. During 1976, • Joint Auto-Train service be­ • U.S.A. Rail Pass offered to over 20,000 U.S.A. Rail Passes were gins on Floridian. domestic customers. sold . Local excursion fares, which between New York and Savannah, Northeast and Midwest. offered round-trip discounts, also Georgia, on June 15 and the Colonial But Amtrak was also putting its helped boost patronage. By mid-year, began serving points between New own money into track improvements ridership, which had been below the York and Newport News, Virginia, in 1976 as well as getting help from previous year's figures, began creep­ including Williamsburg, on the sariIe some of the states. Significant track ing up again and by year's end, it was day . Also, on October 31, Amtrak work was either completed or under­ running about 12 per cent over the and the Auto-Train corporation be­ way in Texas and Michigan. Other previous year. It appeared that the gan joint service between Louisville, work was planned for Illinois and year's average would be about seven Kentucky, and Sanford, Florida, on New York. or eight per cent over 1975. Amtrak's Floridian. Certain routes, particularly those A fourth daily train between Los The Northeast Corridor with additional service and new Angeles and San Diego, the Caltrak The most significant track project equipment, showed spectacular San Diegan, was added to the all-Am­ of all is scheduled to begin next sum­ spurts. Los Angeles-San Diego, with fleet service on that busy route on mer. Troublesome questions of con­ new Amfleet cars and a state assisted September 1. trol and direction of the $1.9 billion fourth daily round-trip, showed In New York State turbine­ modernization of the Boston-Wash­ ridership increases as high as 90 per powered trains, based on the original ington Northeast Corridor were cent during the final months of the French designs but adapted for settled late in 1976, and Amtrak's year. American travelers and built in Cali­ President Paul Reistrup urged federal Promotion of new equipment on fornia, will soon have replaced all of officials to be ready to start the mas­ other routes also produced results. the older passenger cars on intra-state sive five-year rebuilding project dur­ Seattle-Vancouver, Seattle-Portland, routes. ing the 1977 summer work season. Chicago-Milwaukee and New York Another new route - Seattle to When completed, the Northeast State's Buffalo-Albany-New York Salt Lake City via Boise, Idaho, - Corridor project is expected to sub­ routes were all up over last year. was designated during the year with stantially increase speeds and relia­ service to begin in mid-I977. bility of trains between Boston and Station Improvements Washington. Amtrak has 470 passenger stations, Better Schedules mostly old buildings built by private Ridership Another significant sign of im­ railroads in another era. Many need provement on the railroad was the re­ The arrival of new equipment in replacement, relocation or refurbish­ duction in running times of 28 of Am­ substantial numbers, coupled with ment. Important progress was made trak's trains. This was the first signi­ new services, allowed Amtrak's in the station program during 1976. ficant shortening of the elapsed times marketing department to move agres­ A beautifully restored station was for passenger trains in the United sively in attracting more riders. A "rededicated" in New London, Con­ States in many years. Reductions local advertising campl,lign, using necticut; a renovated Nashville sta­ ranged from a few minutes on some newspapers, radio and television, was tion was dedicated; and the refurbish­ trains to over two hours on others. supplemented for the first time with a ment of the Baltimore station was be­ One reason for the shorter schedules national television campaign. The TV gun with costs being borne by Am­ was upgraded track on Conrail in the campaign concentrated on Amtrak's trak, the federal government and the 2 city of Baltimore. Pat on the Back Ground was broken for a new sta­ (Continuedfrom page 1) tion in Cleveland and a new station minated in Philadelphia after running late from Chicago because of a will be ready at Duluth for use there freight derailment. There was no time to get it to Washington in time shortly. to ser~ ice it and get the equipment ready for that day's departure Work is scheduled to begin during back to Chicago. 1977 on new stations at Rochester, So, the Broadway's passengers were carried from Washington to New York, Miami, St.