The US Rail Passenger Service Act (PL 91-518) of 1970 created Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation of the United States. This organization took over passenger rail service from the private railroads, which afterwards provided only freight service, and placed it in a government corporation.
The law was revised in 2001 to reorganize Amtrak, make it profitable, and spin off some components.
External links
http://www.unitedrail.org/pubs/reorganize/execsumm.htm