U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for May 2

WASHINGTON, May. 02 /PRNewswire/ --

WASHINGTON, May 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

FRIDAY, MAY 2: AMTRAK

Profile America - Friday, May 2nd. Usually, traveling around the country on business or for a vacation brings to mind either cars or jet airliners. But many people continue to use a mode of transportation that once dominated the nation: the railroad. Amtrak, the national rail service, was founded 37 years ago this week, combining the operations of 18 ailing passenger rail lines. Recently, more than 25 million people hop aboard one of its trains each year to escape traffic congestion and airline delays and cancellations. To put that number into perspective, in the years between 1910 and 1923, the nation's railroads served 1 billion or more customers annually -- at a time when the population was roughly one-third what it is today. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments ready to air on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the "Newsroom" button). For further information, contact Rick Reed at +1-301-763-2812, fax at +1-301-457-3670, or e-mail at rreed(At)census.gov.