The United States isn’t known for having a robust rail system—at least one that successfully moves people and not just goods. We move a lot of stuff across about 160,000 miles of railroad tracks, but when it comes to moving people, Americans still tend to overwhelmingly opt for planes or cars instead.
That’s changing, though. There’s a renaissance for rail travel underway in the U.S., and this year, trains dominated at least some of the news cycle. That doesn’t mean America is even close to being on par with other train-dominant countries like Japan, China, Switzerland, and France, which all have robust, far-reaching rail networks. They’ve even made rail a priority through legislation, like when France banned any short-haul flights that could easily be replaced by train in 2021.
The U.S. is still lacking when it comes to high-speed rail especially. Currently, the only true high-speed rail service in the country is Amtrak’s Acela in the Northeast, which reaches speeds up to 150 miles per hour. The private Brightline rail service that began running in Florida in 2023 is still below that high-speed threshold, traveling 79 mph in South Florida and 125 to Orlando (high speed needs to be above 155 mph). But Brightline does have high-speed rail in the works for the West Coast.
The U.S. also behind on electrifying its railways. In India, the rail network is nearly 100% electrified; the U.S. is at just 1%. (In a sign of progress, Amtrak did announce in December that its new high-speed electric trains are coming in the spring.)
All of this highlights the advancements that still to be made in order to make rail a popular and successful transit option in the U.S. But even with the existing gaps, more and more Americans are riding the rails, showing that there’s a clear appetite for train travel around the country. Here are five stories from 2024 that highlight that growing interest.
Amtrak’s bold plan to double ridership by 2040
America used to have a robust passenger rail network—before airplanes and interstates dominated travel. The federally chartered corporation kicked off this year by highlighting its ambitious goal to make rail boom once more, by doubling its ridership to 66 million by 2040. In this interview, Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner talked about its plans to make that happen, by both expanding into new markets and rebuilding existing infrastructure. “They don’t happen without the other,” he said.
The instant popularity of Amtrak’s new Chicago-Twin Cities route
One example of Amtrak’s effort to expand into new markets came in the summer of 2024, when it launched its new Chicago-Twin Cities route. In its first full month of service, the route saw more than 18,500 riders, an average of 300 a day, in each direction. That exceeded Amtrak’s forecasts—which Ray Lang, vice president of Amtrak State Supported Service, says were already “very optimistic”—and highlighted how Americans will use rail when it’s an option.
The allure of seeing America by train
In this Washington Post story, reporter Christine Mi wrote and illustrated her experience traveling on trains for 80 hours and more than 3,300 miles, beginning in Northern California and ending up in New York City. It details the experience of transcontinental train travel—a trip that wasn’t straightforward and one she had to cobble together on different legs. She fields confusion from her friends about why—the cost, the time commitment—and explains the magic that only happens on a train.
New York Times reporter Richard Rubin similarly saw America by rail this year, and detailed his time on Amtrak’s Empire Builder route from Chicago to Seattle and back in a piece titled, “4,000 miles, 6 Small Towns: A Whistle-Stop Tour of America.” “If you can extrapolate anything from my odyssey,” he writes, “it’s this: There’s something remarkable about everywhere.”
Google and Amtrak partner up
In September, Google and Amtrak announced that the search giant would start including train travel in its mapping. For instance, if a user Googled a trip from, say, New York to Boston, the results wouldn’t just show driving directions but also details on how to make that trip by train. If you Google flight options between the cities instead, you’ll see not just prices for plane fares, but suggestions to “consider taking the train.” The Google integration is meant to enhance Amtrak’s customer experience—and urge users to choose a more sustainable travel option.
Amtrak’s record year
Amtrak announced its ridership numbers for the 2024 fiscal year in early December. It was a fitting follow-up to its talk about bringing in more customers at the beginning of the year. Between October 2023 and September 2024, Amtrak moved 32.8 million riders—an all-time record for the rail service. “Breaking our ridership record is just the beginning,” said Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner in a statement. “We are doubling down on our vision to connect more people and communities like never before.”
