This is a preliminary report made by Transportation Secretary John Volpe on November 30, 1970 outlining the endpoint routes that the soon-to-exist National Rail Passenger Corporation would have to serve as the “basic system” of U.S. passenger rail. This was only a preliminary report: after public comment and ICC review, the final report was due by the end of January 1971, in anticipation of “Railpax” (later renamed “Amtrak”) starting business on May 1, 1971.