Amtrak adds more service throughout the US Northeast Corridor to meet demand | Hacker News Reader

Amtrak adds more service throughout the US Northeast Corridor to meet demand

media.amtrak.com

41 pointsnamanyayg15 comments

“To meet demand” Wild, so the service slash you did in 2022 wasn’t a good idea in the long run?!?

Seriously, I wish there was better trains in the US than this contracted out crap.

I'm genuinely happy for the city pairs which this system is working for, but it's difficult to ignore the taste of sour grapes. Despite living within walking distance of the Amtrak Atlanta station, it's completely useless to me. Who in their right mind would pay $500+ for a (minimum) 18hr coach-class ride to Boston/NYC?

I'd love to take the train for a nice scenic trip to NYC, but for the price i might as well fly, the price is just astronomical

The key part for me:

> Momentum has already begun with FY23 4th Quarter NEC ridership achieving 8% above pre-pandemic levels

So who is it that uses these trains?

Commuters? Rail enthusiasts wanting a rail adventure?

I use it for occasional weekend trips between NYC and DC or Boston. It is cheaper and faster than air travel for those city pairs.

I live in Philadelphia & have family & friends in DC, NYC, & eastern MA. Amtrak is my most frequent mode of travel for distances over 20km by an order of magnitude.

I recently booked an Amtrak trip for my family from Trenton, NJ to Kissimmee, FL for a Disney vacation. There are 7 of us, so we qualified for a decent discount. It ended up being just under $150 per person round-trip. We chose Amtrak because my dad cannot fly due to some medical issues. For the week we're traveling, it's significantly cheaper than airfare, we get more space, more bags, and it feels like an adventure.

I spent a bunch of time trying to get my family to take the train from Boston to Florida, but didn't have any luck until a couple years ago. Our "flight" ended up requiring sleeping on a bench at the airport and driving for 6 hours. The trip ended up being about 25 minutes faster than the train.

Next time, we took the train, and had a few hours (intentionally) to kill in DC, so we checked out the Smithsonian. We then went to bed somewhere in Virginia, and woke up in FL. It does take a long time, but a fair amount of that was devoted to meals and sleeping. I was also surprised at how many stops the train made, and how many people got on or off at those stops. For many places, it is the most convenient way to go.

EDIT: I also knew we were on to something when it was my teenage son, who's by no means a train buff, suggested taking the train for our next trip to FL as well. I think there's something about our very busy and hurried lives that a train addresses.

If you are going from Washington, DC, to New York City, it is very convenient.

They have a good bicycle policy. It is ideal if you are going from city center to city center.

I used to commute daily between Philadelphia and NYC. I wish they'd had increased service then.

These trains are mostly used by commuters and business travelers.

I use it to get to the airport. No issue with luggage and cheaper than airport long term parking

The Amish and Mennonite community.

The one time I took a train from Chicago to Arizona, the train was about 50% Amish/Mennonite.

Their leaders evaluate technologies to determine if it’s consistent with their way of life, and trains made the cut.

I wonder which train numbers they are?

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