Arrive Magazine - May/June, 2010

All Aboard!
Thank You for
Riding with Us Today

You’ve chosen to travel with us at a very important time, as we celebrate our 39th year of service to this great nation. Since beginning operations as America’s railroad on May 1, 1971, we have always taken great pride in providing you with a safe, reliable and more comfortable way to travel.

Amtrak’s long history has been built by a loyal and dedicated workforce. A surprising percentage of the 20,000 employees currently working at Amtrak have been with the company since its inception, and many more have served for more than 25 years. The experience and know-how of these devoted people— along with the talents o;ered by our newer employees—make working for this railroad an absolute pleasure.

But as we reflect on our past, we remain focused on the future. This country is finally beginning to fully understand that rail is a vital part of an e;ective transportation network, and we intend to strengthen our position as America’s premier passenger railroad and its only operator of high-speed service.

To further our mission, we are once again embarking on an important infrastructure improvement campaign. This year, we will complete nearly $1 billion worth of projects to improve safety, security and reliability. On the railroad alone, our Engineering forces will install more than 160,000 new railroad ties, replace 28 miles of rail and resurface 550 miles of track. We will also replace or repair numerous bridges and make 21 stations more accessible to those with disabilities.

In addition to our own capital improvement
program, we will continue to be good stewards
of the $1.3 billion we received in 2009 as part of
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
You might be sitting in one of the 81 refurbished
passenger cars we are adding to our active fleet.
Or perhaps you noticed the major renovation
going on at our station in Wilmington, Del.
Or you were able to more easily find your travel
information on our new Passenger Information
Display Systems. These improvements and
many more are all made possible with stimulus
money and directly led to the creation of more
than 800 jobs last year. With the 2010 construc-
tion season well under way and projects spread
all around our network, we will be reporting a
significantly higher number of jobs created at
the end of this year.