State-supported Amtrak routes

State Supported Service Line
State Supported Service Line
	The Pacific Surfliner, Amtrak's most popular state-supported train, funded by Caltrans
Overview
Locale	Contiguous United States
Transit type	Inter-city rail
Number of lines	32
Operation
Operator(s)	Amtrak
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Top speed	125 mph (201 km/h)

The State Supported Service Line is the division of Amtrak responsible for operating its intercity passenger train services shorter than 750 miles (1,210 km) outside the Northeast Corridor. Since 2008, federal law has required routes of this length to be financially sponsored by state or regional transportation authorities. As of 2026, there are 32 state-supported routes sponsored by 23 partners in 20 states.

State-supported trains are typically faster and more frequent than Amtrak's long-distance routes, and are said to be competitive with flying and driving.^[1] The division is Amtrak's largest by ridership, representing about half of all passenger trips, and is also its fastest growing in the 2020s.^[2]

Nearly all new Amtrak routes inaugurated since 2008 have been state-supported. The company's newest route, the Mardi Gras Service, first ran in August 2025 with funding from the Southern Rail Commission.^[3] Amtrak sees state-supported routes as its greatest opportunity for expansion,^[1] though its plans depend on state cooperation.^[4] State budget cuts can also result in routes being downgraded or discontinued.^[5]

History

The modern state-supported route system is a consequence of Section 209 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008.^[6]^[7]

Routes

Name		Partners	Route	Miles (km)
Adirondack		NYSDOT	Montreal – New York	381 (613)
Amtrak Cascades		WSDOT, ODOT	Vancouver – Eugene	467 (752)
Hartford Line		MassDOT, CTDOT	Springfield – New Haven	63 (101)
Valley Flyer		MassDOT, CTDOT	Greenfield – New Haven	102 (164)
Vermonter		VTrans, MassDOT, CTDOT	St. Albans – Washington	611 (983)
Berkshire Flyer		MassDOT, NYSDOT	New York – Pittsfield	190 (310)
Michigan Services	Blue Water	MDOT	Chicago – Port Huron	319 (513)
	Pere Marquette		Chicago – Grand Rapids	176 (283)
	Wolverine		Chicago – Pontiac	304 (489)
Borealis		MnDOT, WisDOT, IDOT	Saint Paul – Chicago	417 (671)
Amtrak California	Capitol Corridor	Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, Caltrans	Auburn – San Jose	172 (277)
	Gold Runner	San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority, Caltrans	Oakland – Bakersfield	318 (512)
	Gold Runner	San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority, Caltrans	Sacramento – Bakersfield	280 (450)
	Pacific Surfliner	LOSSAN, Caltrans	San Luis Obispo – San Diego	350 (560)
NC By Train	Carolinian	NCDOT	New York – Charlotte	704 (1,133)
NC By Train	Piedmont	NCDOT	Raleigh – Charlotte	173 (278)
Downeaster		Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority	Brunswick – Boston	145 (233)
Empire Service		NYSDOT	New York – Niagara Falls	460 (740)
Maple Leaf		NYSDOT	New York – Toronto	544 (875)
Ethan Allen Express		VTrans, NYSDOT	New York – Burlington	308 (496)
Heartland Flyer		ODOT, TxDOT	Oklahoma City – Fort Worth	206 (332)
Hiawatha		WisDOT, IDOT	Chicago – Milwaukee	86 (138)
Illinois Service	Illini and Saluki	IDOT	Chicago – Carbondale	310 (500)
	Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg		Chicago – Quincy	258 (415)
	Lincoln Service		Chicago – St. Louis	284 (457)
Keystone Service		PennDOT	New York – Harrisburg	195 (314)
Pennsylvanian		PennDOT	New York – Pittsburgh	444 (715)
Mardi Gras Service		Southern Rail Commission	New Orleans – Mobile	145 (233)
Missouri River Runner		MoDOT	St. Louis – Kansas City	283 (455)
Amtrak Virginia		Virginia Passenger Rail Authority	Boston – Newport News	644 (1,036)
			Boston – Norfolk	679 (1,093)
			Boston – Roanoke	682 (1,098)
Winter Park Express		CDOT	Denver – Winter Park Resort	62 (100)

References

1 2 "FY24-29 Five Year Plans" (PDF). Amtrak. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
↑ "About the Routes". SAIPRC. State-Amtrak Intercity Passenger Rail Committee. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
↑ Traweek, Lance (October 9, 2025). "Amtrak expands Mardi Gras Service as ridership surges along Gulf Coast". New Orleans CityBusiness. New Orleans CityBusiness. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
↑ "Amtrak Route Expansion Largely Depends on State Willingness to Subsidize". The Eno Center for Transportation. April 23, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
↑ "Amtrak will discontinue Texas-Oklahoma route this summer". KERA News. May 1, 2026. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
↑ German, Lauren (April 2022). "The Allocation of Costs and Control: A Case Study of PRIIA Section 209 and Amtrak State-Supported Routes" (PDF). Mineta Transportation Institute. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
↑ "Overview, Highlights and Summary of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA)" (PDF). railroads.dot.gov. Federal Railroad Administration. March 10, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2026.

[FY24-29-1] 1 2 "FY24-29 Five Year Plans" (PDF). Amtrak. Retrieved May 9, 2026.

[2] "About the Routes". SAIPRC. State-Amtrak Intercity Passenger Rail Committee. Retrieved May 9, 2026.

[3] Traweek, Lance (October 9, 2025). "Amtrak expands Mardi Gras Service as ridership surges along Gulf Coast". New Orleans CityBusiness. New Orleans CityBusiness. Retrieved May 15, 2026.

[4] "Amtrak Route Expansion Largely Depends on State Willingness to Subsidize". The Eno Center for Transportation. April 23, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.

[5] "Amtrak will discontinue Texas-Oklahoma route this summer". KERA News. May 1, 2026. Retrieved May 1, 2026.

[6] German, Lauren (April 2022). "The Allocation of Costs and Control: A Case Study of PRIIA Section 209 and Amtrak State-Supported Routes" (PDF). Mineta Transportation Institute. Retrieved May 15, 2026.

[7] "Overview, Highlights and Summary of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA)" (PDF). railroads.dot.gov. Federal Railroad Administration. March 10, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2026.

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