Williams went down in history as the last place whose section of Route 66 was replaced by an interstate. In 1984 the last section of I-40 was opened and a year later the entire US Route 66 was officially abolished nationwide. Williams has around 3,000 inhabitants and has many restaurants and motels as well as 2 train stations. It was the last route on Route 66 to be affected by the interstate bypass. The transcontinental long-distance train "Southwest Chief" runs daily from Amtrak station Williams Junction towards Los Angeles and Flagstaff-Albuquerque-Kansas City-Chicago. Williams train station in the town center is the starting point for the year-round Grand Canyon Railway, which is popular with tourists, to the southern edge of the Grand Canyon. Steam locomotive-covered additional trains are also used in summer.