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
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