Amtrak Sees surge in Demand as Holiday Travel Chaos Grips Airports
WASHINGTON D.C. – As airlines brace for what is expected to be one of the busiest-and potentially most disrupted-Thanksgiving travel periods in years, Amtrak is experiencing a surge in demand, despite longstanding issues with service and infrastructure.The railroad is seeing many routes sell out, forcing travelers to consider lengthy journeys and high prices as an option to increasingly chaotic air travel.
The current situation echoes historical patterns, according to Rick Harnish, executive director of the nonprofit High Speed Rail Alliance. He referenced past marketing campaigns, including the “We’ve Been working on the Railroad” ads from the 1970s, noting, “They did a lot of advertising to get people to come back,” but “the service wasn’t good enough to keep them.”
Despite the renewed interest, Amtrak faces notable challenges. Long-distance routes are frequently subject to substantial delays, and sleeper car accommodations can cost thousands of dollars for multi-day trips. Many Amtrak train cars are decades old, and a current equipment shortage has led to cancellations-sometimes followed by unexpected reinstatements, as seen in recent alerts from AmtrakAlerts.
Service frequency remains a major hurdle. In Rochester,New York,such as,onyl approximately 159,000 passengers used the train in all of 2024,resulting in just four daily trains stopping there from New York City,each carrying a few hundred people.This creates a cyclical problem: underfunding leads to poor service, wich discourages ridership and perpetuates the funding shortfall. Potential customers frequently enough find Amtrak doesn’t serve their desired destinations, runs infrequently, takes too long, or is prohibitively expensive.
As of this week, many trains for the days leading up to Thanksgiving are sold out. Remaining tickets present a significant commitment-travelers may face costs of $500 or more for a 20+ hour upright journey from New York to Chicago, or a 10-hour-and-40-minute layover during a multi-day trip from Raleigh to Syracuse, a route typically completed in under four hours by plane.
While Amtrak’s shortcomings are well-documented, the current air travel climate is driving some to reconsider the train, even if it means accepting a slower, less luxurious experience. For many, the appeal lies in the simple fact that the train “at least stays on the ground.”
