5 Biggest U.S. Metropolitan Areas Without AMTRAK Service

Most people that know me are well aware that I'm a huge proponent of passenger train service. One of the perks of my recent move to Denver is the fact that I can frequently take AMTRAK's California Zephyr over the Continental Divide to visit my father in Glenwood Springs. Not only is the route beautiful, but it feels good to have a viable alternative to the (often) crazy drive westward on Interstate 70. Not all Americans are that fortunate, though. A 2000 study showed approximately 82% of the Americans living in metropolitan statistical areas were served directly by AMTRAK, according to Trainweb.org. Does the number paint an accurate picture of the service in place? After all, when a thrice-a-week comes through your city at three in the morning, is it really a viable form of transportation? And is it really reasonable to take a train from Little Rock, AR to Raleigh, NC via Chicago? Finally, a look at a route map shows large areas without service, but a closer examination shows the omission of some large cities altogether. (For a larger map, go to http://bit.ly/gxNVjQ). So, now let's count down the 5 biggest American metropolitan areas not served by AMTRAK. The list may surprise you!

NOTE: While I've included the top 5 largest metro areas in the list, I did not rank them in order, according to population alone. I also factored in tourism, strategic location along potential routes, and overall suitability for regularly scheduled passenger train service.

5. Columbus, OH

With a population of 710,000 and a growing metro population of 1.8 million, Columbus is the 32nd largest metropolitan area in the United States, the third largest metropolitan area in the state, and home to the Ohio State University, one of the largest universities in the nation. Columbus is also the capital and a ton of state jobs. A ripe demographic for potential train travelers, if I've ever seen one.

4. Louisville, KY

Louisville, Kentucky is the largest city in the state, and known, of course, as the home of Churchill Downs and the world-famous Kentucky Derby. Blossoming to 720,000 residents and an overall metro population of 1.25 Million residents, Louisville also boasts the Worldwide Global Hub for UPS, a thriving health and educational sector, and a thriving art scene. Geographically, Louisville could be a stop on the way to Nashville on a Chicago-Atlanta route. It would at very least cut off quite a bit of time on a transcontinental route, as the train could go directly from St. Louis to Cincinnati, rather than up to Chicago and back. One of the problems with cross country service is that there is no central route. Trains have to either go south and skirt the Gulf Coast, or head north and go though Chicago. Surely a path through Tennessee or Ohio would make logistical sense, let alone the number of passengers that may regularly use it.

3. Nashville, TN

Nashville has a population of 635,000 and a metropolitan population of around 1.5 million. It's Tennessee's largest metro area, home to the Grand Ole Opry, and isn't served by passenger train service. Nashville's diverse economy includes a huge country scene that pines for nostalgia. Surely the railroad would serve as a romantic way to make it to the bright lights and stardom the city promises, now wouldn't it? Nashville's also the state capital, in the middle of a long state. A train across the state would mean that most people would be within a somewhat reasonable proximity of service. This also puts the city on a theoretical north-south line between Chicago and Atlanta, or and east-west line that could connect trains from the Dallas or St. Louis to the East Coast Corridor.

2. Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the U.S. with 1.6 million people living in the city alone. 4.3 Million people live within the metropolitan area, making the "Valley of the Sun" the 12th largest metro in the country. It has a fancy new light-rail system, all four major sports franchises, and grew at an astonishing 34% in the last decade. Yet the nearest AMTRAK station was relocated thirty miles south to Maricopa, in 1996. Why is Phoenix second on my list? I'll get to that next. Back to Phoenix, which is a five or six hour drive from the LA Megalopolis. Wouldn't it make sense to tap into such a huge population?

Finally, topping the list of major American cities without AMTRAK service is:

1. LAS VEGAS, NV

Las Vegas literally grew from a small town in the desert to the gambling and entertainment capital of the world in a mere 50 to 60 years! Almost two million residents call the Las Vegas area home, and 40 Million tourists travel to Las Vegas annually. 40 million per year! This puts Las Vegas behind only Orlando and New York as the top tourist destination in the United States. Most of the tourists stay in one relatively consolidated area- "The Strip". While many vacationers fly in to the city, a large chunk of the pleasure-seekers come from California. In fact, Los Angeles is a five hour drive across mountains and desert. Hardly anyone gets to Las Vegas by train, however. While service has been proposed, construction has yet to begin on this route. Since 1997, the closest that you can get to Las Vegas on a train is Needles, CA, an hour and a half to the south! Las Vegas' status as a world-class tourist destination with a centralized lodging area, combined with the relatively close proximity to our nation's second largest megalopolis make it a prime candidate for passenger train service, and, hence the number one destination not served by AMTRAK.

Many people may be unaware of the lack of service available to a sizable number of major American urban areas. Many people may also be skeptical of the viability of train service in the United States, at this point. But, when you factor in limited routes, limited frequency of service, and the outright lack of service in several surprisingly large cities, it's no surprise that most people in this day and age make other travel arrangements. Perhaps adding routes that pass through or lead to the cities above would change that fact.

*Route Map courtesy of amtrak.com
*Statistic courtesy of Doug Ohlemeier/trainweb.org