Acela Express Power Car 2027 at New Haven-Union Station, March 31, 2013. The Acela Express is Amtrak’s premium service in the Northeast Corridor (Washington-New York-Boston) and is North America’s fastest passenger train, operating at speeds of up to 150 MPH.

Amtrak celebrated its 45th birthday yesterday, having been established on May 1, 1971 when it took over the passenger train operations of privately owned railroads that were still offering passenger service at the time.  Amtrak was not expected to last more than a few years at its creation, as intercity passenger train service was increasingly seen as not being viable in the years leading up to Amtrak’s creation.  However, despite all the difficulties that have been overcome and those that still exist (including the fact that Amtrak does not own most of the track on which its trains operate), Amtrak is still chugging along.  It operates North America’s fastest passenger train in the Northeast Corridor, other heavily used corridor services in Chicago, California, and the Pacific Northwest, and cross country services that provide a truly unique travel experience.

Writing about some of my long distance Amtrak trips is very much on my “Travelogue To Do List” and there are lots of reasons to consider traveling by train whether you’re just going from Washington to Philadelphia or if you’re going from California to New York.  I’ve enjoyed my Amtrak experiences to date, and look forward to what the future will bring.  All aboard for Amtrak’s 46th year!

To see all the Amtrak related photos on this website, click here.