Amtrak strives to regain pre-Covid ridership as travelers opt for train travel to save money and the environment.

• With the resurgence of domestic travel and rising prices, some travelers are choosing trains over planes.
• Air travel is often more expensive, offers less leg room, and has a higher environmental impact than trains.
• Amtrak is trying to revive pre-Covid ridership and smooth out operations.

With the resurgence of domestic travel and rising prices, some travelers are choosing trains over planes.

The advantages of trains, such as being cheaper, providing more leg room, and being better for the environment, are motivating people to choose Amtrak, the government-supported U.S. rail service, in an effort to increase pre-Covid ridership and improve operations.

Airline ticket prices have soared since the pandemic ended, as travel demand increased. Additionally, the airline industry's uncertainty has grown due to high-profile incidents, such as the one that made headlines earlier this year when a section of an Alaska Airlines plane detached mid-flight, resulting in the discovery of loose hardware on Boeing 737 Max 9 planes in several airlines' fleets.

According to Clint Henderson, a managing editor at travel site The Points Guy, though train routes may take longer than flight times, the total travel time is often balanced out when considering the time spent in traffic to reach the airport, security lines, and boarding wait times.

He stated that through speed tests, the time taken to travel between cities like New York and D.C. on the train and plane was measured, and although the flight is brief, it usually takes approximately the same duration.

The number of people choosing Amtrak trains over flights has increased across the travel industry, especially in the Northeast corridor, where flying between two close-by cities doesn't always make sense.

Leonor Grave, a resident of New York City, frequently journeys to Washington, D.C., via Amtrak trains instead of flying. Grave prefers train stations, which are usually located in city centers, to airports, which are often situated on the outskirts of towns.

Grave stated that if trains were quicker and offered more destinations, he would never fly domestically again. He found traveling by train to be a smooth experience and more enjoyable because he could move around, stretch his legs, and visit the food car. He felt more connected to the earth while traveling by train.

Grave stated that she has been able to bring her bike on the train and reach New York's Penn Station just 20 minutes before the train's departure, which is a significant advantage over the typical two-hour early arrival required at airports. Although she has experienced some delays on Amtrak trains, especially post-pandemic, they have been minimal compared to the recent flight delays and cancellations that have affected the air travel industry.

Grave stated that he does not view Amtrak as a perfect corporation, but believes it is the best option available. He emphasized the importance of developing train routes and connecting different parts of the country through rail travel, as it becomes increasingly competitive with flying.

Reasons for rail

Despite Amtrak's Acela trains reaching 150 miles per hour in certain sections, American trains are still far from the high-speed railroad networks of Europe and Japan.

Some travelers are increasingly attracted to the option as the dynamics of travel shift.

This month, Chiara Dorsi opted for an 19-hour Amtrak journey from Chicago to New Orleans instead of flying, which would have required her to deal with bag limits and security. The rail ticket cost her nearly $400 less than a flight and allowed her to work during the ride.

The cost was significantly different," she remarked. "Since I work remotely and Amtrak offers Wi-Fi, the time I spend on the train isn't wasted because I can complete my work from any location.

Dorsi also said she tends to gravitate toward trains for their environmental benefits.

The International Air Transport Association states that air travel contributes about 2% to the world's global carbon emissions. However, Aaron McCall, the federal advocacy coordinator at California Environmental Voters, argues that the travel impact is significantly lower when replaced with train travel.

Reduced emissions are inevitable when people travel together, McCall stated.

The decrease in greenhouse gas emissions is due to investment in green technology and public transportation, as stated.

Recently, McCall has observed an increase in the number of people using Amtrak trains in California, despite the region's public transportation being less developed compared to the East Coast's robust networks.

Ridership returns, with delays

In 2023, Amtrak's total ridership was over 28 million, a 24% increase from the previous year, but still significantly lower than the pre-pandemic total of over 32 million passengers in 2019.

The Northeast Corridor, which spans from Washington, D.C., to Boston, experienced a more than 22% increase in ridership and revenue year over year, as reported in November.

Since the pandemic, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports that the trains' on-time performance has decreased. In 2019, Amtrak's overall on-time performance was 75% on a weighted basis. However, in 2020 and 2021, as ridership plummeted, the on-time performance improved to 80% and 78%, respectively.

The latest report shows that total delays increased and on-time performance decreased to 74% in 2022. Most of the disruptions were due to problems with host railroads, not Amtrak's fault. Despite this, Amtrak is committed to reducing delays.

Amtrak ensures reliable service and safety during inclement weather through its around-the-clock monitoring of weather conditions and assessment of railroad and related infrastructure in real-time.

Amtrak is investing over $5 million to enhance train stations, tunnels, and bridges in order to double its ridership by 2040, with fresh funding from the White House supporting the expansion of its longer routes.

According to The Points Guy's Henderson, those upgrades will be the "gamechanger" in transforming train travel, even if the timeline seems to be taking a long time.

Reinforcing track beds in certain areas, rebuilding bridges, and increasing train speed are some of the changes that will occur, according to Henderson. Once these changes are implemented, it will be an exciting time. However, Henderson urged people to exercise patience as it may take some time for these changes to become a reality.