Step 1 : Introduction to the question "In what year did Amtrak service begin?"
...The mid-20th century was a time that placed great challenges on America's railroad industry. Competition from new interstate highways and a growing aviation network cut into the railroad's hold on passenger transportation and freight shipping. Miles of rail line crisscrossed the nation, but between 1958 and 1970, the number of rail line miles used for passenger service fell from 107,000 to a mere 49,000. The train depots in hundreds of communities closed. To maintain passenger rail service to congested urban areas, Congress passed and President Nixon signed the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970. The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, aka Amtrak, began service May 1, 1971. Source: history.amtrak.com
