William J. Flynn, a successful leader in the rail, maritime and aviation industries, will succeed current President and CEO Richard Anderson on April 15, 2020. Anderson has led Amtrak since 2017 and will stay on through the end of the year as Flynn’s senior advisor.
“Amtrak’s future is incredibly bright and I’m excited to join the team,” Flynn said. “Amtrak service is vital to millions of Americans across the nation and by improving the customer experience, driving safety, and strengthening our partnership with states and other stakeholders, we can do much more for the American people.”
Most recently, Flynn served 13 years with Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings Inc., which serves the global air freight, military charter, and passenger charter markets, as president, CEO, and board chairman. He also held senior roles with CSX Transportation, Sea-Land Services Inc., and GeoLogistics Corp.
In fiscal year 2019, Amtrak set new records in ridership, revenue, and earnings. In 2020, Amtrak is on pace to achieve operational breakeven for the first time in the company’s 49-year history, according to the railroad. Additionally, Amtrak is investing billions in capital assets and is undertaking the largest fleet renewal in company history, with new high-speed Acela trains entering service on the Northeast Corridor next year.
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak (reporting marks AMTK, AMTZ), is a passenger railroad service that provides medium and long-distance intercity service in the contiguous United States and to nine Canadian cities.
Founded in 1971 as a quasi-public corporation to operate many U.S. passenger rail services, it receives a combination of state and federal subsidies but is managed as a for-profit organization. Amtrak's headquarters is located one block west of Union Station in Washington, D.C.
Amtrak serves more than 500 destinations in 46 states and three Canadian provinces, operating more than 300 trains daily over 21,400 miles (34,000 km) of track. Amtrak owns approximately 623 miles of this track and operates an additional 132 miles of track. Some track sections allow trains to run as fast as 150 mph (240 km/h).
In fiscal year 2018, Amtrak served 31.7 million passengers and had $3.4 billion in revenue, while employing more than 20,000 people. Nearly 87,000 passengers ride more than 300 Amtrak trains on a daily basis. Nearly two-thirds of passengers come from the 10 largest metropolitan areas; 83% of passengers travel on routes shorter than 400 miles (645 km).
The name Amtrak is a portmanteau of the words America and trak, the latter itself a sensational spelling of track.
