Post, Freight and Carriers

After AMTRAK went into operation, did any freight railroad companies continued to provide passenger service?

Before AMTRAK, freight railroad companies were required to provide passenger rail service as well. More often than not, it was not profitable.

Public Comments

1. Try the Denver and Rio Grande Southern(later just the Rio Grande)... Good luck...
2. Three railroads continued to offer long distance passenger service following the creation of Amtrak: Denver, Rio Grande & Western (D&RGW), Southern, and Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific (CRI&P). Rio Grande's famed "Rio Grande Zephyr" made its last run in April, 1983. After that, Amtrak's "California Zephyr" took over. CRI&P ceased operations in 1980. Southern eventually joined Amtrak. In certain urban areas, the railroads turned their commuter operations over to municipal, metropolitan or state authorities. For instance, when Conrail was formed, it also had the headache of providing commuter service, which lasted until 1983. Today, no freight railroads operate ANY kind of passenger service on their own, unless they host Amtrak or commuter railroads.
3. I'm not aware of any passenger rail service that was profitable without subsidies. Back in the pre-amtrak days passenger service made $$ for the railraods by hauling US mail. If you talk to any of the old time railroad clerks a lot of them remember jobs on mail cars sorting and delivering mail to different towns along the way.
4. Several freight railroads still provide passenger service in Chicago as part of the METRA network (with subsidies from the state of Illinois). The South Shore line is not part of Amtrak either, and was initially run by a freight railroad, although they gave up a few years after Amtrak was formed and handed it over to the state as well.
5. - The White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad is a freight company that also runs a tourist train, which goes between Alaska and the Yukon terrirtories in Canada. - In Ontario, the freight company Ontario Northland also operates regional and tourist trains from Toronto to northern Ontario. - Canadian Pacific runs an expensive cruise train out of Calgary.
6. sure Conrail on the east coast operated until 1983 and offered both. they had the passenger service under contract to state or local govenments. IN NJ as an example there were Conrail passenger trians but under the state government. If trains were late as an example, a penalty or surcharge was imposed on Conrail. Maintenance was done by the Conrail forces. Similar in the northeastern states. then in 1983 the majority of the commuter railroads became part of the state;s Dept. of Transportation.
7. The Boston & Maine operated the MBTA commuter rail service until 1986 then Amtrak ran it until 2003. Mass Coastal provides freight service to Cape Cod and owned by the same company (Cape Rail Inc) that owns the Cape Cod Central (a scenic excursion and dinner train line). There is serious talk going on of Cape Rail Inc. provide passenger service from the MBTA commuter station in Attleboro to the Cape.