The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak (reporting mark AMTK), is operated and managed as a for-profit corporation and began operations on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States.
Amtrak operates more than 300 trains each day on 21,200 miles (34,000 km) of track at speeds up to 150 mph (240 km/h) connecting more than 500 destinations in 46 states and three Canadian Provinces. In fiscal year 2012, Amtrak served a record 31.2 million passengers and had $2.02 billion in revenue while employing more than 20,000.
"Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track" and is headquartered at Union Station in Washington, D.C.