Passenger-Rail Timeline: 1958-2008

1958

• Authority for railroads to discontinue commuter service transferred from states to U.S Interstate Commerce Commission

1961

• First significant federal public transportation legislation (Housing & Urban Development Act of 1961)

1962

• First monorail system opens (Seattle World’s Fair)
• First automated heavy-rail line opens (New York’s Grand Central Shuttle)

1963

• Chicago becomes last surviving city with interurban line (Chicago, South Shore & South Bend Railroad)
• CN inaugurates its new transcontinental passenger train “Panorama”

1964

• First major U.S. government public transportation program (Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964)

1965

• CN introduces Rapido passenger service between Montreal and Toronto, the “fastest regular passenger run on the continent”

1966

• First public takeover of a commuter railroad (Long Island Rail Road Co.)

1968

• Agency administering federal public transportation program renamed Urban Mass Transportation
• Administration and moved to new Department of Transportation
• First downtown transit mall opens (Minneapolis’ Nicollet Mall)
• First rail station at an airport opens in Cleveland

1969

• First modern heavy-rail agency replacing former rail line (Port Authority Transit Corp.)

1970

• The Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970 creates Amtrak to take over intercity passenger-rail service

1971

• Amtrak launches operations

1972

• First computer-controlled heavy-rail transit agency launches operations (Bay Area Rapid Transit)

1973

• Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires some public transportation services to be accessible to people with disabilities
• The Arab Oil Embargo highlights the need for transportation alternatives, putting transit projects on the agenda in many communities

1974

• Boston, Cleveland, Newark, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and San Francisco become the last cities with a street railway system
• First federal public transportation operating assistance legislation approved (National Mass Transportation Assistance Act of 1974)
• APTA formed from the merger of two organizations

1975

• First automated guideway transit agency opens at West Virginia University

1976

• CN’s Turbo passenger train establishes 140 mph speed record
• CN introduces the “VIA” name and logo as a new division

1978

• VIA Rail Canada becomes a crown corporation

1980

• First new light-rail transit agency in decades launches service (San Diego Trolley)

1983

• First public transportation trust fund for capital projects created through the dedication of a one-cent federal gas tax

1989

• First new commuter-rail agency in decades opens in south Florida (Tri-County Commuter Rail Authority)

1990

• Virtually all public transportation service required to be accessible through the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

1991

• First general authorization to use highway funds for public transportation (Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act)

1998

• Major expansion and restructuring of the federal transportation program (Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century)

2000

• Amtrak launches Acela service

2001

• MTA New York City Transit and the Port Authority Trans-Hudson briefly halt rail service in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks

2004

• In an APTA survey, transit agencies identify $6 billion in security needs — $5.2 billion for capital investments and $800 million for security-related personnel

2005

• Federal transit law reauthorized, extending federal funding through 2009 (SAFETEA-LU)

2007

• Public transit systems record 10.3 billion trips — the highest ridership figure in 50 years, according to APTA

2008

• The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission releases “Transportation for Tomorrow,” a report that outlines the country’s surface transportation needs for the next 50 years
• In light of record-high gas prices, public transit ridership reaches 2.6 billion trips in the first quarter, up 3.3 percent year over year, APTA says