The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, or Amtrak, was created in 1971 after Congress and President Richard Nixon passed the Railroad Passenger Service Act in an attempt to rejuvenate the dying U.S. intercity railroad industry.

From its outset, Amtrak stated mission was “to operate rail passenger service on a for-profit basis; to use innovative operating and marketing concepts to fully develop the potential of modern railway passenger service to meet intercity transportation needs; and to provide a modern, efficient intercity rail passenger service.”

Initially, it was a travel broker which supervised the nation’s rail systems, but by the 1980s the publicly-funded company began operating the network. In 1983, Amtrak began directly hiring engineers, conductors and other operators.

In 1994, facing substantial revenue streams and criticism from taxpayer advocates, the government decreed that Amtrak become self-sufficient by 2002.

But by 1997 the corporation was on the verge of bankruptcy. After being rescued through a government tax credit initiative, the company went on to develop the Acela Regional service which electrified the Northeast corridor – substantially reducing travel times between New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C.

Although often facing controversy for its heavy taxpayer funding, Amtrak remains a heavily utilized transit system. Today, the quasi-public organization also provides commuter services, as well as mail and express freight delivery.