Amtrak
has expanded its Northeast Regional service to offer more travel choices along
the U.S. East Coast. This enhancement includes the introduction of four extra weekday roundtrips
and two new weekend roundtrips between New
York Penn Station (NYP) and Washington
Union Station (WAS), along with a fresh weekday morning departure from Philadelphia’s
William H. Gray III 30th Street Station (PHL) to NYP. In addition, one new
weekend departure now also connects PHL to Boston South Station (BOS).
These adjustments
represent a 20 percent rise in weekday service and a 10 percent increase on
Sundays, collectively providing over 1 million additional seats on the
Northeast Regional network.
“More people are
taking the train than ever before and we’re proud to offer our customers
additional travel options when they ride with us on the Northeast Regional,”
Amtrak’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Eliot Hamlisch,
said in a statement. “The Northeast Regional gets you where you
want to go comfortably, conveniently and sustainably as you breeze past traffic
on I-95 for a more enjoyable travel experience.”
These schedule
expansions align with Amtrak's ambitious objective of doubling its annual
ridership to 66 million by Fiscal Year (FY) 2040. Already, the rail operator is
seeing the start of fresh momentum, with FY23 4th Quarter NEC ridership
surpassing pre-pandemic levels by eight percent, and Northeast Regional
ridership reaching nearly 9.2 million customers in FY23 overall—a growth of
over 29 percent compared to FY22.
The Northeast
Regional service offers relaxed and economical downtown-to-downtown travel all across
the Northeast Corridor (NEC). Customers can also opt to indulge in enhanced
travel experiences by upgrading to Business Class, which features extra
legroom, a complimentary non-alcoholic beverage, and assigned seating for a
smoother boarding process. Additionally, Business Class passengers enjoy a bonus
of 25 percent when it comes to accruing Amtrak Guest Rewards points.
Expanding service
on the NEC also aligns with Amtrak's already established sustainability
objectives, including to Achieve Net Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2045. Riding
the rails along the NEC with Amtrak generates 83 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions
than driving and as much as 73 percent less than flying. Every customer
receives information on their trip-specific carbon emissions savings printed on
their train ticket.
Tickets for the newly
added routes are now available via Amtrak.com, via the Amtrak app, and by
calling 1-800-USA-RAIL. Customers can take advantage of Amtrak's new, more
budget-friendly Flex fares and make changes without incurring a fee, although any
difference in fare prices will need to be paid.
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