Amtrak will celebrate 40 years as “America’s Railroad” on Sunday, May 1, 2011. That celebration will last a week and culminate with National Train Day on Saturday, May 7th.
The 40-year anniversary also marks the end of a year-long trial run of an Amtrak green transportation experiment that uses biodiesel in their passenger line that runs between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, a program TIME magazine listed as one of “The 50 Best Inventions of 2010.”
That program is part of Amtrak’s continued commitment to offering a “green transportation” choice. Since 2003, the rail service has cut its diesel fuel use by more than 5% while increasing train service on many routes, according to Amtrak. For 2011 and 2012, Amtrak is shooting for a 7% cut.
