Amtrak, which more often makes headlines for not making money, or having unreliable schedules and aging trains, has some better news about itself—record ridership, and new investment.
The government-backed railway operator reported 32.8 million passengers, up 15% over the year before and $3.6 billion in operating revenue, up 7%. Tickets accounted for $2.5 billion of the total, with some of the rest including payments by state transportation departments for whom Amtrak operates contract commuter and regional rail services.
With funds from recent legislation, including the Infrastructure Act, Amtrak was able to move forward on $4.5 billion in rail construction and rehabilitation projects, including new trains, increased service and even new routes more of which are planned. Amtrak’s goal is to double ridership to 66 million by 2030.
Image from Amtrak
