Amtrak launches new menu items aboard select trains — including hot meals, nonalcoholic beverages and vegan options

There's good news for Amtrak riders in the Northeast, along with travelers on Amtrak's long-distance routes: They'll be the first to see a variety of new food and beverage options available on board, including bacon-and-cheese egg bites, a vegan noodle bowl and a smoked-turkey-and-havarti sandwich.

Enhanced menu options are currently available for passengers on Northeast Corridor and long-distance trains.

The new items are available for purchase in the Amtrak Cafe cars, offering riders 30% more options among hot meals, snacks, salads, sandwiches, bites, nonalcoholic beverages and even vegan offerings, a decision Amtrak said was in response to customer feedback.

"Making changes to our menu based on customer feedback reflects Amtrak's commitment to enhancing their travel experience, as passengers know we are listening to their requests for improvement," said Robert Jordan, Amtrak's vice president of operations and customer services, in a statement on Aug. 17. "In this time of rising costs, we are proud to offer our customers high-quality items on our menu at reduced prices."

Amtrak confirmed prices for the majority of food and beverages on board would remain the same while noting a $.50-$1.50 reduction in the prices of all sandwiches and salads on all Acela and Northeast Regional trains. Breakfast items range from $3.50-$6, while lunch and dinner items are between $5 and $7.50.

Customers can also expect more breakfast options, including a bialy egg sandwich, Amtrak's take on the traditional New York City breakfast sandwich, usually served on a bagel.

Bialys are baked, not boiled, and instead of holes, bialys have a depression in the middle, often filled with cooked onions, garlic or poppy seeds. Travelers can also expect to see bacon-and-cheese egg bites as well as seasonal fruit such as mango among the breakfast options.

Among the new lunch and dinner items are a new smoked-turkey-and-havarti sandwich and two vegan options, including a vegan Asian-inspired noodle bowl and a vegan blue-corn tamale. The availability of items suitable for vegans and vegetarians traveling via Amtrak has historically lacked in terms of options, but the addition of another salad to the menu appears to be a step in addressing such.

Related: Vegan and gluten-free food guide to London

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Snack offerings include a cheese plate, fresh crudites, beef jerky and pistachios.

There are also new nonalcoholic beverage options, such as pomegranate juice and expanded hot and iced coffee selections from La Colombe, which Amtrak first introduced at its new full-service bar in its Metropolitan Lounge in New York City's Penn Station in January.

Passengers can see a menu of what's available to purchase on board from their seats, specifically on all trains along the Northeast Corridor, including the Acela, Northeast Regional, Vermonter and Ethan Allen Express, which run from Boston to Washington, D.C. The menu will also be available to travelers on Amtrak's 15 long-distance trains, such as the Capitol Limited, Cardinal and California Zephyr.

To search the full menu for a specific train, see here.

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