by Donald Wood
Last updated: 4:00 AM ET, Sat November 7, 2015
Photo by Brian Major
As people all over the United States prepare to travel for the holiday season, Amtrak is also getting ready by adding extra trains and additional capacity on several routes in the Northeast, the Midwest and on the West Coast.
In the Northeast, Amtrak will lease equipment from its commuter partners to operate what it has dubbed "Holiday Extra" trains between New York and Washington on Nov. 29. As a heads up, the Keystone Service will require reservations from Nov. 24 through Nov. 30.
Travelers in the Midwest will notice more trains running through several Chicago hub corridors, and those in the Pacific Northwest will have one additional round trip between Seattle and Portland on the Amtrak Cascades service.
As for the West Coast, Amtrak is adding capacity to several services including the Auburn-San Jose Capitol Corridor and the Los Angeles-San Diego Pacific Surfliner. The company also announced that it will operate every available passenger rail car in its fleet across the country.
Last year, Amtrak broke a record by carrying 772,211 passengers during the Thanksgiving travel period, and the company is looking to make this year easier on people by offering tips and advice.
First, passengers are advised to book tickets early for best availability and pricing by using Amtrak.com, Quik-Trak or ticket windows at staffed stations. Another easy tip is to avoid the holiday rush by traveling in the morning, a typically less-packed time of the day.
Passengers are also advised to check the train schedules and arrive at the station early. In addition, people should always carry their photo identification to buy tickets and verify seats onboard.
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