Was the creation of amtrak a large news story in 1971??

[Modelcar]

...I'm remembering that NARP was more in the news than Amtrak....They were a shoving force that helped to force some semblance of Passenger traffic which of course now and early on known as Amtrak.

[CShaveRR]

I think that perhaps more coverage was given to the passenger runs that were killed off on the eve of Amtrak than the actual start of the revised service. I know that that was the experience in my hometown--the trains were packed, with extra cars added to the maximum extent possible. Yet in the year prior to that, there were many times that I was the sole passenger on some of those trains.

[Anonymous]

I remember the shock of seeing Dearborn station nearly deserted in 1969. I think everyone had a similar experience and drew the conclusion intercity passenger rail was mortally wounded. I was aware of Amtrak but considered it a relic for retirees and those afraid of flying. I think everyone had already lost hope for US passenger trains.

[MP57313]

It wasn't a large story, but it did get coverage.

I lived back east at the time, and recall an article in the Boston Globe. The article included a stylized map of the network that was republished in several other magazines. I think it was the same map used in early national timetables.

The LA Times ran a front page article on May 2, but the larger story (same day) was the bailout of Lockheed, as Mark Hemphill mentioned above. But at least the Amtrak article had a photo, of the City of Los Angeles.

At a recent used book sale I looked up this topic in a "Year Book 1972 (Events of 1971)". There was a short reference item about Amtrak. One of the cited reasons for its creation was the near-saturation of some airports. Except for the northeast corridor I can't imagine that airport congestion would be a major factor, but the NEC is where the decision-makers were...

[Anonymous]

There were stories out on the creation of Amtrak. It began life known as "Railpax." The name was quickly changed to Amtrak closer to the start up date. I remember headlines on April 30th that bid farewell to trains that would be gone. On May 1st one headline in bold type read, "New Era for Rails." I was a suburban trainman on the CNW at the time. On April 30th there were a flood of TV news folk interviewing trainmen and passengers, and filming the last runs of The Capitol, The Pere Marquette, and of course the last of the CNW 400 leftovers, and Kate Shelley's ghost train to Clinton, at the CNW's Chicago depot. The next morning, a Saturday, there was no one around to watch the arrival of the last Capitol Limited into Chicago. All of the CNW equipment had been deadheaded home in the early morning hours of May 1st, so there were no CNW last arrivals.
Mark is absolutely right. There were certainly bigger news fi***o fry in that sad era so it's hard to say if anyone was paying attention except fans and regular riders. Memorable first era Amtrak slogans were "Tracks are Back," and "America's First Nationwide Rail Passenger Service." But the toilets still don't flush ( an early Amtrak complaint.)
Mitch

[Anonymous]

Did people know that Amtrak was occuring and was it a headlining story of the day? Where people across America sadend by the loss of so much rail service. Does anyone recall or know what was the public opinion of Amtrak?