Photo: Andrew Harnik (AP)
Amtrak released its new map today, and the trainscape is looking good, toot toot. After a year of service cutbacks due to the pandemic, the rail company has drawn new lines connecting dots all over the country. The expansion is hopeful, a “2035 vision” that hinges on securing a proposed $80 million investment from Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan.
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Screenshot: Amtrak
It would expand stops to cities that are, surprisingly, without service: Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nashville, Columbus, and Baton Rouge. In its announcement, Amtrak adds that hubs like Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Houston “have service that is simply inadequate, with trains that only stop once a day and often in the middle of the night.” In total, Amtrak estimates that the expansion would improve service to 20 million people. The only suspension is a line from Jacksonville, FL to Mobile, AL.