Amtrak boosts Northeast Regional service by more than a million seats annually
Amtrak is adding more trains to its schedule along the busy Northeast Corridor, owing to major strides in ridership after pandemic setbacks between 2020 and 2022.
This week the rail operator launched four additional weekday round trips between Moynihan Train Hall at New York Penn Station and Union Station in Washington, D.C.
It'll mean more trains and more seats between the two major East Coast hubs, and along the critical corridor that stretches from Washington to Boston.
Amtrak is also adding an additional weekday morning departure from Philadelphia to New York.
Altogether, it's a 20% spike in weekday capacity along the corridor, Amtrak said.
"More people are taking the train than ever before and we're proud to offer our customers additional travel options," Amtrak Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Eliot Hamlisch said in a statement announcing the news.
Ridership rebound
Indeed, after the pandemic and remote working patterns hurt capacity for a couple of years, Amtrak made distinct progress in 2023.
Over the full fiscal year, which ended in October, ridership on Northeast Regional trains was up 29% over 2022 levels.
The longer the year went on, the better it got.
Full Northeast Corridor ridership in the final quarter of the fiscal year — in July, August and September 2023 — was up 8% over pre-pandemic levels.
In fact, ever since early last summer, the corridor consistently exceeded pre-pandemic passenger levels, said Laura Mason, Amtrak executive vice president for capital delivery, in a November interview with TPG.
"We have less of a commute ridership pattern, and much more of a leisure travel pattern," Mason noted at the time. "We're seeing a little less business travel, a lot more leisure travel, so we're adapting our routes and our pricing to meet that need."
Related: The best credit cards for Amtrak and train travel
Weekend service boosted, too
To that end, it's not just Amtrak's weekday service getting a boost.
The company is also adding a new weekend trip from Philadelphia to Boston's South Station, helping to grow Amtrak's Sunday seat capacity by around 10%, the company said.
Related: Amtrak debuts new seating layout on Northeast trains
Major growth plans
Collectively, these additional frequencies will boost Amtrak's Northeast Corridor capacity by more than 1 million annual seats.
This significant growth in train capacity along the Northeast Corridor is just the latest step for Amtrak amid an ambitious growth plan.
In late January, the company announced a goal to double nationwide passenger capacity by 2040, to an annual 66 million passengers.
Helping with that growth, no doubt, is the billions of dollars in infrastructure grants doled out by the Biden administration in recent months. That money will support the construction of new tunnels under the Hudson River in New York and the building of a new Frederick Douglass Tunnel in Baltimore — both key chokepoints.
Meanwhile, after years of delays, Amtrak says its new Acela trains, which are undergoing live testing, remain on pace to be in service by the end of this year.
Related reading:
- Key travel tips you need to know — whether you're a beginner or expert traveler
- The best travel credit cards
- Where to go in 2024: The 16 best places to travel
- 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
- 8 of the best credit cards for general travel purchases
- 13 must-have items the TPG team can't travel without
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Unlimited up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Housing payments may include transaction fees, depending on the payment method
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 3 months + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.