Amtrak: Past, Present, Future

If you are curious about the history of Amtrak, it's special status as a quasi-government corporation and its potential, this softcover book will provide the reader with the items of the ongoing public policies and debate regarding interstate rail passenger service in the United States. The conflicting roles of Amtrak as a business responding to market demand and a public entity dependent on political support are chronicled in academic detail and stylish prose by a 40-year rail industry veteran who has drafted rail policy positions as a senior industry official, implemented them as a White House appointed federal regulator, written about them as a journalist and critiqued them as a rail labor-union officer.

This is Frank N. Wilner's sixth book, which Dan Weikel of the Los Angeles Times terms ''more than the story of a train wreck [explaining] how to tap Amtrak's potential at a time in the nation's history when passenger railroading is becoming increasingly necessary.''

Contents:

• Who Shot the Passenger Train? pp. 1–14
• Railpax is Born, pp. 15–32
• Out of the Station - Barely, pp. 33–42
• Woe Be the Equipment and Track, pp. 43–52
• Novus Ordo, pp. 53–66
• The Saga of Amtrak's Common Stock, pp. 67–70
• Mail and Express, pp. 71–80
• High-Speed Rail, pp. 81–96
• The Northeast Corridor, pp. 97–106
• Privatization. 107-122
• Labor Relations, pp. 123–128
• Modern Amtrak, pp. 129–140
• Conclusion, pp. 141–144
• Afterword by Anthony Perl, pp. 145–148
• Amtrak Presidents, pp. 149–152
• Federal Statutes Mentioned, pp. 153–154
• Endnotes, pp. 155–200
• Index, pp. 200–212. Simmons-Boardman, softcover, 238 pages, small format 6 x 9, text, pictures of Amtrak presidents. Features: New Softcover Frank N. Wilner Simmons-Boardman