This map shows how good Amtrak could be if only the government would pay

Get the Full StoryA new study looks at adding 15 additional long-distance routes to Amtrak, which would expand access to 39 million Americans.

Passenger rail service in the United States is woefully lacking compared to other countries, particularly long-distance service that connects far-reaching cities. Amtrak currently operates 15 long-distance routes, which range from 750 to 2,500 miles. But they stretch over just 39 states and the District of Columbia, and a map of those routes reveals that large swaths of the country don t have any rail options.A new map, as part of a recent Federal Railroad Administration study, shows what the country could look like if 15 additional long-distance routes were added. With those rail lines, previously stranded regions of the country are suddenly connected with bright lines representing passenger rail. They would make the country s rail network considerably fuller and would bring rail service to all of the lower 48 states.

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